Effie & Haymitch: Always My Sweetheart
by KelsNicole92
Summary: *After Those Gray Eyes, before Can Love Last?* The story of Effie and Haymitch's struggle to find love. They aren't each other's type and not what the other one expects. Will it be true love? *summary might change*
1. Chapter 1: Love?

**Hey everyone! This is the first chapter of Effie and Haymitch: True Love? Happy Birthday to HungerGamesCrazy, who asked me to write this story. I thought that it would be fun to put up the first chapter on her birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope that all of you like it! This first chapter was fun to write and I thought that it would be easy, but it took me a few shots to get it to this. (KelsNicole92-Fanfiction, is my Facebook 'like' page. Okay! I'll let you get to the story!)  
Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

Effie POV:

I stare at Haymitch, why must he always turn to drinking? Honestly, I don't understand what the whole fuss is about it. Standing here I take a deep breath and try to think everything through, I cannot actually like him. This is a guy that I've known for how long and he is the total opposite of me. Just look at him, that shirt probably hasn't been changed for weeks or months! Talk about disgusting. No, I defiantly don't like him in any way other then someone from the Hunger Games, who I was forced to work with. My eyes go up and he comes stumbling my way, I roll my eyes. When he's stumbled his way over to me a wide smile forms on his lips.

"Effie Trinket...hi." I roll my eyes and he puts the bottle to his lips again. Right now I'm annoyed, but I really don't know why. At least with Katniss I know why she annoys me when she does, but with Haymitch its always a mystery. "You look so much better without...that pink hair."

"Excuse me? I personally loved my pink hair!" He just snickers and I grab the bottle from his hands before he can take another drink of it. The horror in his eyes amuses me and I throw the bottle against the gravel. Today is the anniversary of the day that the Districts won in the rebellion and it goes on for two weeks. I look around us and see the celebration is continuing on, what annoys me even more is that this lasts for two weeks. Celebrations in the Capital were so much better, here there's not even a real party. "Like you should talk, Haymitch! Maybe if you changed those clothes of yours at least once a day, someone would find you attractive."

His eyes are full of amusement and he shakes his head a little. "Are you really trying to tell me that you don't find me a little attractive? Effie...you really shouldn't lie to me!"

"You are the last thing in this District that I would find attractive." A blush is creeping into my cheeks and I know that I'm lying. Of course I hope that Haymitch, in his drunken glory, will just think that its from anger. Of course, I'm shocked that he can still remember my name. "Go find yourself another bottle."

"Maybe if you weren't so up tight all the time someone would invite you to something. They might even think that you are fun, but no!" Haymitch is really making a scene and I hate scenes like this. If I look good, then I don't mind them, but of course the way that he's acting I look just as stupid as he does. "Come on, Effie! Loosen up a bit! Here...come with me and I'll show you how to have fun."

I pull my arm out of his grasp and just stare at him. "You really think that you know what fun is? Getting drunk and going around insulting everyone in your path? Real fun is when you are around someone that you like, not someone that you feel your stomach curling inward when you are around them!"

"That's called love, Effie. You have fun around that person, you just don't want to admit it." I watch as he turns away and starts to stumble away from me. For some reason, my own stupidity I think, I follow him. "See? You can't resist this...just admit it Effie."

"Oh, yes! Fine I admit it! I love Haymitch Abernathy!" As soon as the words are out of my mouth, he turns and stares at me. Shock is written all over his face. The stupid fool obviously thinks that I told the truth. "Really Haymitch? You think that I could possibly ever like you? Why would you honestly think that?"

"Well at the kids wedding you seemed a little friendly." He is swaying from side to side and I roll my eyes. The alcohol is obviously affecting his brain worse than usual. "You remember that don't you? Best kiss that I ever had."

I roll my eyes and want to slap some sense into this idiot. "You kissed a stupid bottle, not me! Really, Haymitch! How could you be so stupid to think that we'd ever-"

But I'm cut off and his lips are on mine, his arms wrap around me. Slowly I wrap my arms around him and we stand here, just kissing. When we break apart I don't know what to say or do, I don't even know how I feel about what just happened. Haymitch is smiling a cocky smile and for some reason it infuriates me.

"Did I kiss a bottle now too?" He starts laughing and shakes his head a little. "Sweetheart, you liked the kiss...just admit it. You kiss better then a bottle does...shocking."

Right at that moment I decide what to do, my hand comes up and I slap him across the face. The expression on his face is of pure disbelief and shock. Now I'm the one with the cocky look on my face.

Haymitch POV:

I stare at her as she smiles on. Did Effie Trinket, the woman who thought that it was "cool" to wear a pink wig, just slap me? Oh, now I really know that she liked the kiss and I start to smile. My smile throws her off and I put my arm around her. She tries to pull away from me, but I pull her along with me. We are heading towards he celebration and she is going to learn how to have fun. Effie fidgets under my arm as we enter the center of town. Everyone is having a good time and why shouldn't we? Even though I'm still mad at her about her breaking my bottle I forgive her, because that was one hell of a kiss!

"What are you _doing_? Haymitch Abernathy, let go of me this instant!" She is squealing on and on, which makes me laugh. Oh this woman is about to learn how to have fun. I smile at her, but she glares at me. "You are drunk and don't know what you are doing! So let go of me, right now!"

Laughing I stop at one of the stands that have wine at them and I take two glasses...maybe I should give one to Effie. "Here, drink this and have some fun. Maybe it'll loosen you up a bit. You know what? I must really like you a lot, because I gave you one of my drinks."

"Oh, how honored I feel! Haymitch gave me one of his drinks and kissed me!" Effie can be fun sometimes, I guess. She is sarcastic, which is something that I like in a woman. But with some girls, like a certain Victor I know, sarcasm is a horrible thing with them. "You want this back? Here take it! Or better yet..."

Effie does the stupidest thing that a person can possibly do! She turns the glass onto its side and I watch as the golden liquid falls out of it, slowly. As more falls out she tips it farther and she starts to laugh. This woman is mad! I glare at her and she just smiles at me. See? Perfect example of why I'm never nice to anyone! Remind me to never try and show Effie how to have a good time, because she is a buzz kill.

"Fine, you win. Go back to sulking, but don't ruin my fun." I say and she just shakes her head. Shaking my head I turn away from her and walk away. Katniss and Peeta are staring at me as I walk past them, this is when I realize that she is following me. "Didn't I tell you that you don't have to stay? Why don't you go find a piece of colored carpet to put on that head of yours?"

Effie just smiles and shakes her head. "Is Haymitch trying to run away from his problems now? Sad, really sad...everyone always says how smart he is."

"You poured out that drink!" I yell at her, its totally off topic and she just laughs. This is why I'm not with anyone, woman just don't make any sense! Of course some of my randomness and her annoyance might have something to do with me being drunk. Wait-am I drunk? "How could you? I thought that we shared something special!"

"We did? I wasn't informed of this." Effie is all smiles and I see that the kids are watching us. This is great and I know that Effie is going to say something stupid sooner or later, she acts like she talks. "Haymitch, you know I don't think that you hated that kiss. Looks like I'm not the _only_-"

She cuts off and I stare at her. What was she just about to say? That she enjoyed the kiss too? I've known for a while that I like Effie, that's why I push her away. Aren't the two kids good enough to be close to? Obviously not and right now its all coming to blow up in my face. This idiot needs to know when not to kiss someone. When I come back to reality Effie is gone, she is running away from me. For some reason I have the urge to run after her, but I shrug it off. Maybe I need more alcohol, it must be wearing off, because I'm feeling emotions and I want to show them.

"Haymitch!" Peeta says from behind me as I take another glass. His eyes are wide in shock and I know that this kid is romantic, but he's got to know that this isn't my thing. "Go after her!"

I look towards the way that Effie ran and act like I'm considering. "Nah, I'll see her tomorrow. Thanks for the suggestion though. Ah, Mrs. Peeta is joining us tonight!"

"Really cute, Haymitch. Starting to show emotions again?" Her stormy gray eyes are locked with mine and I see the baby in her arms. Well, its almost a year old, but you get what I mean. "Go after her! That's what she wants you to do or else you might lose her."

"That is where you are wrong." I tell her and I drain the remaining liquid in my glass. Her eyes are focused on me and I smile at her. "You can't lose something, if you never had it."

**Thanks for reading! Did you like it? Please leave a review and let me know. :D  
(I had a lot of fun writing this and I hope that all of you liked it! :D There will be more Effie and Haymitch to come. This story takes place after my story Those Gray Eyes Caught Me, but before Can Love Last?.)**


	2. Chapter 2: Anger and Confussion

**Hey everyone! Chapter two is now here! I hope that HungerGamesCrazy had a good birthday! Haymitch and Effie are one of my favorite pairings and I love being able to write about them. :D This story is fun for me to write, what do you think of it? (KelsNicole92-Fanfiction is my Facebook like page, thank you if you have already liked it and if not... :D ) Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. Okay, onto the second chapter! :D **

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

Effie POV:

_That stupid idiotic thing that is called a man! How dare he kiss me and then suggest that I liked it? Okay, so what if I did...a little? Just like I knew he would, he didn't come after me and that is just typical Haymitch. _For some reason he is all that I can think about, the only thing that is on my mind and those thoughts run through my mind on replay. I stop walking and look around me, maybe he is right...maybe I should try to have some fun, but not his kind of fun. Turning around I plaster a smile on my lips as I walk back towards the celebration, if he wants to see me have a good time, then I'll have a good time. My eyes land on a bottle and I pick it up, of course I'm not going to drink it...I'm going to find Haymitch and give him a piece of my mind.

Slowly I walk around looking for him, but after a few times around I start to get angry and I pick up a glass of wine. I chug down the whole glass of wine and think to myself how proud Haymitch would have been at what I just did. A voice comes from behind me and I turn to see Peeta Mellark. Peeta is staring at me as though he is concerned, what a sweet boy and Katniss walks up beside him. My eyes land on the baby in their arms, she is so cute and I want to have a baby. Sadness sweeps through me as I realize that I haven't fallen in love in a while and that I'm getting older, not younger. That's when I see him and I walk towards him.

"You!" I point at him accusingly and he looks around at me. He looks a little confused and he laughs a little when he sees me. "You insult me, then you kiss me and you don't even run after me?"

Haymitch laughs and shakes his head as he takes another drink out of a bottle. "Sweetheart I don't run after anyone, don't you understand that? You of all people should."

"No, because I know that you would if you showed that heart of yours sometimes. I know that its in there, under this drunken routine!" My voice is getting louder and louder, while Haymitch just stands there smiling away. He annoys me to no end and it seems like he doesn't even try at it. "Oh, now I understand what you are doing. You are pushing away like you always do and if you keep pushing away when you die you'll have no one there. Why can't you just let people in? Is it bad that people care about you?"

"You finally get it! Congratulations, Effie Trinket finally gets it!" He says and he looks around at the people around us. I watch as Peeta and Katniss stand off to the side whispering. Their little baby is in Peeta's arms now, her name is Acacia. "Do you think that everyone had it as easy as you did when you were in the Capital? Well guess what? No one in the Districts had it half as good as the Capital! They took away everything that meant anything to me-my family and my girlfriend!"

"So you won't get close to anyone because of that?" I cross my arms across my chest and glare at him. "What are you going to do, just keep pushing everyone away?"

Haymitch smiles at me and shrugs. "Aren't those two kids enough? I let them and that...kid of theirs in. Works for me and neither of them are half as nagging as I thought that they'd be."

Standing here I'm in shock that a man can honestly want no one around him this badly and I know that I won't be able to change him. I shake my head and put the bottle down on the ground. The tears are coming to my eyes as I realize that I want to be the person who gets close to him, the person who he can't ever push away. Haymitch is staring at me with something that I've never seen before in his eyes, compassion...sorrow?

"You win, Haymitch. Does that make you feel better?" I ask him as I start to back away from him. He smiles at me as I start to turn away from him. "What do you want out of life? Exactly what do you want from me?"

He takes a deep breath and shakes his head a little. With each shake of his head I see the emotions fading from his face, from his eyes. "I want to enjoy the rest of my life and have no one to tell me what to do. To not have to answer to anyone. From you Effie...have I ever asked for anything? How about space?"

Space? That's what he wants? Well, he can have all the space that he wants. Nodding my head I turn fully away from him and walk towards Victor's Village, with only one intention. Of getting away from him. Then I remember, I live next door to him.

"Have all the space that you want..." I whisper as I stare at his house, the tears are starting to fall down my cheeks and I don't care. "You can have it forever..."

Haymitch POV:

I wake up and see the bright sun blazing in through the open curtains. The knife falls from my hand and for some reason I walk upstairs into my bedroom. Staring into my closet I try to find something to change into, when I find a clean white t-shirt, an over shirt and a pair of dark pants I walk out of the room. But I don't walk down the stairs, for some unknown reason I walk into the bathroom and take a shower. After I get out and get dressed I walk down the stairs. Hazelle is here and I smile at her, for some reason I have grown to like her in some ways. Could have a more annoying neighbor then her I guess...

"Morning Haymitch." I grumble a reply to her and she smiles. When I walk into the kitchen and see that Peeta left me something to eat, she shakes her head. There is a small smile on her lips as she puts a bag down on the table. "Have a good night last night?"

"Don't I always? Why are you smiling?" I ask her, for some reason her smiling is annoying me to the extremes. She shrugs and leaves the house. What happened last night? Couldn't be anything too bad I think and so I shrug it off. After I finish eating I walk outside and see Effie in her front yard, she's working on her flowers. With a small smile I walk over to her, lately I haven't been drinking as much and we've actually become friends. "Hello Effie, those flowers of yours are looking beautiful. Maybe you should get some geese though...they are fun."

Effie looks angry and I don't know why. She stands up straight and looks at me once, her eyes are icy cold. "Hello, thank you so much."

That is all that she says and she's walking towards her house. I watch her as she slams the front door and I shake my head a little. Maybe Effie's going through one of her moods or stages again, its not like it hasn't happened before. With a small shrug I walk towards Katniss and Peeta's house. Opening the door I walk right in and go into the kitchen. After everything that's happened we just walk into each others houses without knocking.

"Haymitch?" Peeta's voice is low and I smile when I walk into the kitchen. The boy is already baking cookies and other stuff. When I sit down in front of him, I watch as he shakes his head. "So...have you talked to Effie yet?"

"Yeah, well I tried to. This is why I stay away from women, they make no sense!" Peeta starts to laugh and mumbles something under his breath. I stare at him and now is when it hits me. Obviously last night I did something stupid and offended Effie in some way, of course she should be used to that by now. "What did I do now? Just let me have it right now, come on."

But before he can respond Katniss walks in with Acacia in her arms. When she sees me she shakes her head and Prim walks in behind her. The look on the little girls face lets me know that I definitely did something stupid last night. I watch as Katniss hands the baby to Prim, who leaves the room. She walks over to Peeta and they kiss, a small peck on the lips. Ugh, I'll never get caught kissing anyone-wait! Kissing? 

I look up at the two of them horrified and they stare at me. "What exactly did I do last night? I don't care which one of you tell me but-"

"You kissed Effie, which made things bad enough. Haymitch...you really were horrible to her last night." Katniss rolls her eyes as I stare at her in shock. "Let's put it this way...you drank like you used to last night and you kissed her. Of course it seemed like both of you liked-"

"No! I do not like Effie Trinket!" The two of them start laughing and I glare at them. Of course they would laugh at me about this! Now I'm in this horrible situation and Effie probably hates me right now, because of whatever I said to her last night. Some way I'm going to have to make her forgive me and I won't give up. "Effie doesn't like me and I don't like her! You two are trying to put ideas into my head!"

Peeta laughs and shakes his head. "Last night I took you home and you looked right at me when you told me that you think you are in love with Effie. Trust me I was in shock when you told me, but it will be okay, just go tell her how you feel and everything will work out."

"The two of you have lost your minds!" I yell at the two of them. Neither of them flinch, obviously they've gotten used to my reactions when I find out when I did something stupid the night before. "Effie is not my type! I don't even really have a type-or like anyone!"

Neither of them believe me and that's fine. I leave them to have their breakfast peacefully and with their kid. When I walk outside I see that Effie is back outside and when I walk towards her, she looks up just in time to run back into her house. Something inside of me is urging me to go to the door and before I can think it through, I'm knocking on her door like some idiot. Why am I doing this? It's obvious that she hates me.

**Thanks for reading! Please leave a review! What did you think? Haha, okay I think that I might be having a little too much fun with this story and I hope that all of you like it. :D **


	3. Chapter 3: The Invitation Changes Things

**Hey everyone! I hope that all of you like it so far. :D Thanks for reading, for the reviews and everything else! Effie and Haymitch are two of my favorite characters in the books and I love writing them. (KelsNicole92-Fanfiction is my Facebook like page :D ) Okay, I should let you get to the new chapter! Chapter three!  
Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

Effie POV:

Is he seriously doing that? He must have completely lost his mind! Am I not giving him what he asked for? Or maybe we have a different idea about what the definition of space is. Slowly my hand touches the door knob and I open the door to see him standing in front of me, looking a little embarrassed. Without saying a word to me he walks right into my house and sits down on my couch. This man has no manners what so ever! I shut the door and follow him into the sitting room where he seems to be having an argument with himself, every few seconds he mumbles something and shakes or nods his head. Rolling my eyes I walk into my kitchen and take the cup of tea that is sitting on my counter for me. Hazelle, she is the best decision that I made after coming here. Since Haymitch didn't appreciate her I took her off of his hands, of course she still works for him from time to time.

With I sigh I turn around and almost drop my tea cup. Haymitch is standing in the door way starting at me as I try to get my heartbeat back to normal. A small smile forms on his lips and I walk right past him. Of course he follows me, that was the plan and intention of it. I get to the door, take a deep breath and open it. Then I turn back to look at Haymitch, who is staring at me as though I've lost _my_ mind. Shaking my head I stare at him through narrowed eyes and he just smiles at me, like nothings happened. He is going to learn that it doesn't work that way around here-with me and he's going to learn it fast. My eyes go to the floor for a minute and back to him.

"What do you want? Didn't you want space?" The words drip out of my mouth like venom and I stare at him as the realization appears on his face. He opens his mouth to say something, but I just laugh lightly. "I'm giving you what you wanted, so you should be happy. Obviously I'm not good enough for you in any way, shape or form of a relationship. So why don't you just leave?"

Haymitch stares at me through narrowed eyes as though he can't believe what I'm saying to him. "You want me to leave you alone? Effie, you are saying that out of anger-not because you really want it. I'm starting to remember things from that night and what I did was terrible. The reason why I came here was to...tell you that I'm...sorry. Can't you forgive me and we can go back to the way that we were?"

"Maybe. I'll have to...think about it." His eyes are on me while I stare at the floor. Why couldn't I just tell him no? This whole insane thing will never work out between us and we both know it. Anger flares up inside of me as I look up at his lips, as I think about how they felt on mine. Slowly I bring my cup of tea to my lips and look around at my house. One person is the reason why I came, Haymitch. "Fine, but don't do it again and don't just walk into my house uninvited. Why are you laughing?"

"Because that's the Effie Trinket that I know. The only woman who would ever care about the fact that I don't have perfect manners." He shakes his head and this is when I realize that he's changed. I look at him trying to figure out what he's done and I notice that he took a shower too! "Oh, you noticed? Yeah...this morning I realized that you were right that night. So I changed and all that."

I smile at him and I feel my heart starting to thaw a little to him. "You did all of that because of me? But why? Aren't you never supposed to care about what people think and never let anyone in? Haven't you broken a few of your rules now, because of me?"

"I decided that I should start...taking care of myself and it was thanks to you. Yeah, I've broken a few rules and I don't give a damn." Normally when he cusses I frown upon it, but right now I couldn't care less. We smile at each other and Haymitch stares walking towards the open door. A part of me wants to reach out and tell him to stay, but I stop myself from doing so. "Guess that I'll see you around? Friends?"

"Friends." I say with a small smile as he walks out the front door. Staring at him I know that I'm going to say something that I'll regret, but I have to. "Haymitch! I'm having...a little party here on Friday and was wondering if...you'd like to come?"

"You are having a party and you want...me to come to it? Really? I thought that I'd be the last person that you'd invite to a party." Slowly I smile and nod my head. Haymitch looks down at the ground for a minute and I feel my heart sinking as I think about him saying no. When he looks back up at me he nods his head and we smile at each other. "Sure, I'll come. I don't have to wear anything fancy do I? Now is this a party or a dinner party?"

Standing here I think about it for a minute. "It's kind of both and you have to wear something nice. Lose the normal clothes and do something fun."

"Yes, Effie." He says and I smile at him as he starts to walk away. I'm shutting the door when he stops and turns around. "Effie, I should probably warn you...this is the best thing that I have to wear."

Haymitch POV:

Okay so I'm lying, but the look on her face is the most hilarious thing that I've ever seen. I keep a perfectly straight face as she thinks about this new dilemma that we have. She looks terrified and I start to laugh, yeah...this is the perfect way to make sure that things go right with Effie right now. The expression on her face will stay with me forever and I'm happy about that. With a wave of good bye I turn and walk away, back to my house.

The door shuts behind me and I walk into the kitchen. I almost jump when I see Katniss sitting on the kitchen counter and smiling at me. Honestly I don't know which one I don't understand more this girl or Effie. She claims not to have any feels for me, but she gets upset when I tell her that I need space? What a stupid thing to get upset about! Katniss jumps off of the counter and smiles at me. Looking at the counter I see that she's brought me two bags full of food and she starts to shake her head.

"What do you want?" I ask her and she just laughs. She watches me as I pick up a bottle and look around for something to open it with. "Where is the love of your life?"

I look back at her and she smiles even wider. "Seeing yours. I heard that you are coming to Effie's dinner on Friday and I'm happy to say that we'll see you there. Why would you lie to her like that and say that you have nothing nice to wear? If she saw that closet of yours-"

"First off, Effie is not the love of my life or love of anything for that matter. Two, yes I'm going to the dinner because she invited me." I smile as I open the bottle and she shakes her head. This girl wasn't complaining when she drank with me that one time before her second time in the Hunger Games. "You should have seen the look on her face when I said it! She looked horrified and it was the funniest thing that I've ever seen."

"Don't drink it." She says the words slowly and I look over at her. Her gray eyes are serious and I laugh lightly. Now she's trying to tell me what to do? It doesn't work that way and she knows it. "Haymitch, think about Effie and how much better your relationship with her would be if you didn't drink."

For a minute I stand here and think about it, this is when something hits me. "You have been with lover boy for too long, do you know that? What makes you think that I want things to be better with Effie? Everything is fine the way that it is and we just made up."

"If you insult her again she won't forgive you as easily. Think about it for a minute Haymitch...do you really want to lose her over a bottle?" Katniss was never really good with words and now she is? Either Peeta's rubbed off on her or its those blasted kids. "Is it really worth it? Remember the way that you felt when you found out that Effie was upset with you? Make things better with her."

"Fine...here." I hand her the bottle and she smiles. That is until she breaths in and I start laughing. Katniss never had a stomach for alcohol and after she drank with me she can't stand the smell of it. "But you said something about losing her over one bottle? How about two?"

"Can't you ever take anything seriously? Do you really want to be alone for the rest of your life?" Yes, this is defiantly from Peeta rubbing off on her. She shakes her head at me as the front door opens and in walks Peeta, he smiles at me as he hugs Katniss. "Just remember what I said and what you've said to me. You could do a lot worse."

I roll my eyes and Peeta stares at us confused. Slowly I shake my head, this kid does not want to know what's going on, hell I don't even want to know what's going on. Katniss smiles and kisses him on the cheek. They both look at me and they are all smiles, but I'm grossed out right now. Love, who needs it? Effie is definitely the last woman that I'd ever want to fall in love with, because she's making me lose another thing that I love...my bottles. My bottles were there for me when no one else was and they were always the only thing that I ever needed.

"Effie told me that you are coming to the party." Peeta says in an enthusiastic voice and I roll my eyes. The boy continues to smile on and I just shake my head, annoyance is flowing through me. "You've cleaned up already and look nice...maybe this party should help you."

Rolling my eyes I start to mumble and the two of them just start laughing. "I didn't clean up for her...I cleaned up for me..."

"But he's giving up his alcohol for her." Katniss says and Peeta stares at me in surprise. Remind me not to listen to Katniss _ever_ again. Times like these remind me why I never got close to anyone and now I'm stuck with these kids, I love them. "That's a huge step."

"Yeah it is." He says and I shake my head. "It's got to be love."

**Thanks for reading! Please leave a review. :D Did you like it? Haha, I'm having fun with this story and I want to keep writing. Effie and Haymitch are fun to write. Hopefully all of you like it! :D **


	4. Chapter 4: Caught Thinking About You

**Hey everyone! Woohoo! More Effie and Haymitch coming up! :D Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. I'm having a lot of fun with this story and I love these two. :D (KelsNicole92-Fanfiction is my Facebook like page.) Okay, quick question does any song remind you of either of these two or of them together? If so, please let me know. I've been trying to think of some, but none are coming to my mind and I think it would be funny to listen to one or a few while typing it. Thanks!  
Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

Effie POV:

Stay calm, stay calm, everything is going to be okay. Haymitch will come in good clothes to the party on Friday and I know it. Taking a deep breath I walk out of the kitchen with a tea cup in my hand. I smile as I think about what's going to happen today, every Wednesday Hazelle, Katniss, Amaryllis (Mrs. Everdeen), Primrose, Madge and Johanna come over for tea. As I walk past the mirror I stop and make sure that I look proper, its not like I ever don't, of course one can never be too careful. My bright blue dress goes to my knees and its wrinkle free. Haymitch comes to mind as I stare at my hair, did I look that ridiculous with those wigs? Was he right? Of course not, Haymitch is never right and he never will be. Taking a deep breath I walk away from he mirror and see Hazelle setting everything up. I smile at her and tell her that everything looks perfect, as usual.

I feel bad for Hazelle, she had to work for Haymitch and his house was horrible! No one could honestly live in that place and like it, unless they were asking for death. Hazelle smiles at me and walks into the kitchen to bring out the rest of the stuff that Peeta sent over. A knock on the door brings me back to reality and I walk to the door, a real lady never runs. When I reach the door I open it with a smile and see Katniss standing there. Stepping aside I let her in and a few minutes later her sister and mother show up. The others show up a few minutes after and everyone sits down at the table with the perfect light blue table cloth. Light blue so that it matches my dress! I'm so smart about fashion and what matches. Maybe I should take Haymitch shopping before Friday... 

"Peeta was here, wasn't he? I'd know these cookies anywhere." Katniss says as she smiles at the small light pink rose cookies. Of course she would know that Peeta made them, they are married after all. Why am I not married? Am I not marriage material? "Effie? Are you okay?"

My head snaps in Katniss' direction and I don't know what she just asked me. So to be on the safe side I'll nod my head and smile. "Yes, Peeta made the cookies. Aren't they delicious and beautiful? I've always loved the way that he made food and the way that he paints."

Katniss' eyes wander to the picture above the table and I see a small smile forming on her lips. Her smile shows how proud she is of her husband and the love between them. Part of me is jealous of her, jealous of the love that the two of them share. The other part of me is annoyed because I keep thinking about Haymitch, but I know that there is no way that I could love him. My eyes flicker up to the painting and I smile a small smile as I see their wedding captured perfectly. Haymitch and I are some where in the center, okay I know exactly where, but I've seen the painting how many times? We are dancing and I smile as I see the bottle is not in his hands. Did I break the bottle that night? I might have, but right now I can't remember, because I'm thinking about his lips on mine-

"Effie, are you alright? Do you need us to get you something?" This time its Amaryllis who asks me and I smile at her. Slowly I shake my head and everyone continues to stare at me. Now I know that I have to do something, because obviously I am staring off into space and thinking about Haymitch. Haymitch, no I cannot think about him-its unacceptable! "Is today a bad day? We could always reschedule."

"No, no! Don't be silly." I say with a small smile on my lips, a fake smile of course. After working with Katniss two times in the Hunger Games, I've learned how to have this smile on my face the second that things start to go down. "Everyone please enjoy the tea and food. Sorry, I was just thinking about Katniss and Peeta's wedding night. That was the most beautiful wedding that I've ever been to."

"I'm happy to hear it Effie. But I think that you were thinking about something else." Of course Katniss is going to make this rough on me. "But I don't know what yet, don't worry though I'll find out soon. Are you ready for the party on Friday? Peeta's already planned everything out."

I smile at her and I know that she knows that I'm annoyed with her right now. "Of course he has! That is part of the reason why I hire him for everything! Now, ladies! We have a little bit of business to take care of. As all of you know this party means a lot to me and I want it to be perfect. One small problem has come to my attention and I was wondering how I should approach it?"

"I invited Haymitch and he told me that he does not have the proper attire for that night-" Everyone starts to laugh and I stare at them. What is funny about this? "Could someone please tell me what is so funny about this?"

"Haymitch has clothes that would be acceptable for that night." Katniss tells me as she laughs on. I feel my face getting red with anger. That idiot lied to me! "Effie, I think he was joking with you..."

Haymitch POV:

Standing in front of the mirror I inspect myself to see what I could change. Maybe I should take another shower, yeah...I did that a few days ago, of course it took a lot of fumbling around with the buttons in the shower. I get into the shower and start fumbling around with the buttons, last time I got it super hot and I don't want that again. The icy cold water spills onto me and I jump a little, this is just great! Why am I even doing this? Effie and I are just friends, nothing more, she even told me that I disgusted her. Quickly I take a shower and when I'm done I get out, walking into my bedroom I wonder what I should wear today. All of the clothes that are hanging in the closet are still brand new and they are clothes that Effie would approve of. Sighing I pull out a dark blue dress shirt and put on a pair of dress pants. When I turn to look at myself in the mirror I don't recognize the guy in the mirror, no this guy is different.

I shake my head and sigh. Effie Trinket is changing me and I don't want to be changed. Personally I liked myself a lot before and I'm not very fond of this guy who wears dress shirts. "What happened to you Abernathy? You are falling into the clutches of a woman? And worst of all she is a Capital woman. This woman drives you insane and she says that you disgust her."

The front door opens and closes. Shaking my head I walk out of my bedroom and walk down the stairs. When I walk into the kitchen I see Peeta putting a plate of cookies down and holding onto Ace. He smiles as he turns around to say something to me, but he just smiles at me. I know that to him this must look like something that its not and I shake my head at him. Since when did it become a crime for a man to take a shower and dress nicely? Doesn't he do that? So why is it a big deal when I do? Of course I know that this whole situation is going to be blown up, they are all going to think that I'm in love with Effie-when I'm not and that I'm doing this for her. Just because I can't get her out of my mind doesn't mean that I love her. No, it just means that she obviously annoys me a lot and she is really annoying me right now.

"Well, well, well Haymitch Abernathy." Peeta says with a wide smile on his lips as he looks me up and down. That little kid in his starting at me too. Great! Now their teaching their kid bad habits and I'll have to put up with it when the kid gets older! "You look nice..."

"Don't make a big deal out of this, got it Peeta? This is all nothing and I'm just trying it, okay?" Peeta just smiles at me and I know that he's not going to do as I tell him. Why don't kids listen to you these days? I mean come on! You tell them to not make a big deal out of something, that means nothing and they end up making a big deal out of it. "So where's your other half? You two are never separated.."

He smiles at me as the baby giggles a small giggle, this is great now the kids even cute to me! "She is with your soon to be other half. Come on Haymitch, its just us three and neither of us are going to tell. You are doing all of this for Effie and you love her. Just admit it already."

"I don't know what you are talking about. You think that I love her, when I am annoyed with her." He just shakes his head as I walk over to the fridge and look inside of it. Those blasted kids took all of the wine out of my house yesterday while I was gone! Of course I promised them that I'd give it up, but still. "She annoys me! I mean look at this! Because of her I've given up drinking and I can't get her out of my-"

Shit! Now Peeta is really smiling at me and I just roll my eyes, trying to play it off. But I know that the damage has been done, he knows what I was going to say. With one last look back at me and one last smile he says good-bye. He walks to the front door and I hear it shut behind him. This is horrible, the kids rubbing off on me! I cannot allow this to happen, no this cannot be happening.

I look over at Effie's house and see the girls at their tea party. Ugh, tea...I've never really had a fancy for that stuff. Why would anyone want to drink that? Water is better than that stuff. Katniss' eyes meet mine for a second and I see her mouth drop open in shock. Quickly I duck out of the way and walk away from the window. Well, this is great Abernathy! You screwed up two times today and with both of the kids.

"I need my geese..." That is all that I can say as I walk outside into my backyard. All of the geese are walking around and I throw their food on the ground. Quickly all of them run over to eat it, by how quickly they are running I wonder if I fed them yesterday? Hm, yeah...I'm pretty sure that I did. Geese must just act this way. "See you all later, bye geese."

When I walk back into my house I come face to face with one of the last people that I want to talk to right now. Her eyes are locked with mine and I try to smile. She can't be mad at me, I haven't done anything today to make her upset. Or have I? Hm, think back...think back...nope, nothing. But her eyes tell me that I obviously did something and I'm about to hear all about it. With a sigh I walk into the kitchen and sit down, I gesture for her to sit and she does.

**Dun, dun, dun! Haha! What did you think? :D Okay, this story is too much fun to write! :D Thank you for reading! Please leave a review! **


	5. Chapter 5: A Deal

**Hey everyone! Woohoo! :D I'm having a lot of fun writing this and hopefully all of you like it so far. This new chapter should be...interesting. :D Hehe! Thank you for reading, for all of the reviews and everything else! Hopefully all of you like this new chapter and like the rest of the story. :D  
Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

Effie POV:

He rolls his eyes and I want to do something, like slap him! Of course that is not lady like, so I cannot do that. I stare at him and realize that there is something that I'm going to make him do for me. Fashion is something that you do not joke around about! Doesn't he know this? Well, he will learn and he will learn fast. Haymitch walks away from me and into the kitchen. I follow him and watch as he opens a cabinet door, he pulls out a bottle and I feel more angry coursing through me. With one hand on the bottle I watch him as he starts to look around for something to open it with and I just laugh lightly. His eyes move onto me and I just shake my head. Katniss told me that Haymitch gave up drinking and I knew that I was right. I haven't been in this house for more than five minutes and he's already got a bottle in his hand. This guy needs some serious help to quit drinking. No, I could never be with him and that...that blasted bottle. The only thing that he will ever love is that stupid bottle.

"What are you smiling about?" Haymitch asks as he moves everything around looking for something to open his bottle with, but I don't respond, I just keep laughing. After a few minutes he still can't find anything and he is getting angry. "Effie, what is so funny?"

"That Katniss thought that you had quit drinking. She told me that earlier today and I knew that it was something that would never happen." I shake my head and he looks a little guilty as he puts the bottle down. Oh, he does have a heart! "How could you do this to them? They thought that you were changing and now you've given them false hope! What's wrong with you?"

Haymitch glares at me, but a few seconds later his eyes soften and I feel the anger starting to slowly fade. "They don't have to know about this, do they? I've been doing good and haven't had anything since they ransacked the place to find every bottle. Please, don't tell them..."

"Why shouldn't I? You are going to start again and they will just be disappointed when you do. All that you are going to do is prolong it." But the way that he's staring at me makes me want to give in, but with one condition. "Fine-only if you promise to do one thing. Don't worry is nothing big or anything."

"Fine, I'll agree to whatever you say. What I do for those blasted kids..." He starts to mutter and I smile a little. At times like these you can really see that Haymitch loves the kids a lot. "What is it that you want me to do? Am I going to have to bring something to that party of yours?"

I shake my head and smile a little wider, he narrows his eyes. "You are going to let me pick out the outfit that you wear that night and you are going to clean up, again. See? Nothing horrible and we are both happy. The kids don't find out and you are dressed properly at my party."

"You cannot be serious! Please, tell me that you aren't going to put me in some sort of...monkey suit!" I laugh and shake my head. Haymitch obviously is taking my terms harder then I thought that he would. "Fine! Fine! Fine! You can dress me, now just go!"

With a small satisfied smile on my lips I run back to my house. Once I'm up the stairs I open my closet and pull out an outfit that belonged to my brother. This is what Haymitch will be wearing on Friday. It has long black dress pants, a long black coat, a white dress shirt and a bright pink tie. Seeing Haymitch in the bright pink tie will be better than anything I can imagine and I've taken care of my problem. He will be dressed in an outfit that is appropriate and if he doesn't the kids will find out about his little slip up.

"Oh! This is perfect!" I stare at the outfit and smile to myself. He will love this and he will look great in this! "Haymitch is going to get a makeover and learn how to dress properly! All thanks to me!"

Staring at the outfit I can't take it anymore and I run out of my room. When I reach the stares I smile as I quickly walk down them and out the front door. He will learn to love these clothes, because they are the proper thing to wear. I shake my head and think about how sad it is that he doesn't know what is good and what is bad. Thank goodness he has me to teach him how to dress. A smile forms on my lips as I get to his house and I open the door. Excitement starts to course through me and I can't wait to see his reaction to the outfit!

Haymitch POV:

That blasted woman! She does something to me that I can't describe and I hate her for it! Now I'll be in some outfit that Effie thinks is the best outfit ever and that means that I will be the joke of the party. Doesn't she understand that I haven't drank for this long, that I gave it up for h-I mean, the kids? I pick up the bottle and put it back in my hiding spot, just in case. My front door opens and I hope that its not Effie, again...of course I get what I wish for and get someone much worse. Katniss walks into the kitchen with that little slobbering kid of hers and my nose wrinkles in disgust. She smiles at me and I just roll my eyes.

"What do you want, Katniss?" I ask her and she just shakes her head. Slowly I sit down in one of the chairs and she does the same. Great! She's going to be here for a while and I'm not allowed any alcohol! "Let's get on with this and you can be on your merry way."

"I just came by to make sure that you are doing okay. You haven't had any alcohol in how many days?" She smiles at me and the guilt sinks in. Guilt, when I was drinking I never felt it and I want to wash that feeling away. "Peeta told me to bring you this and we both wanted to make sure that you are okay. How are you doing?"

I shrug a little, hoping that she will leave in a few minutes. "Fine. Why are you separated from Lover Boy? Isn't he missing you right now? You should go see him. Really, I'm fine and I was just going to go see my geese. I think that I saw one of them with one of Effie's old wigs..."

"Did Effie stop by?" She looks at me with a knowing look and I sigh. Of course those two are watching me closely. Effie and I can't keep anything a secret. "Were you nice this time?"

"What are you talking about? I'm ALWAYS nice." The words are out of my mouth and Katniss starts to laugh. Obviously this amuses the girl and I watch her as she holds the baby close to her. "Effie and I just had a small misunderstanding. That's it."

The front door opens and I hear the clicking of heels-her heels. When she runs into the kitchen she has a look of excitement on her face and Katniss stares at her in shock. My eyes land on what she's carrying and I know that I have to do something, something fast. There is no way that I'm going to wear that ugly pink tie! I mean, seriously? Pink?

"Haymitch! I found the perfect outfit for you and you are going to look amazing!" She smiles at Katniss who looks amused. "Hi, Katniss! What do you think about this?"

Katniss looks over at me and I shake my head, of course this girl is going to go against me. "I think that that will look great on him! That is just such a great color!"

Before I really know what I'm doing I kiss Effie, I don't know why, but I do. Our lips stay together for a few minutes and I don't know why I did it. When we break apart we stare at each other and Katniss looks amused. Effie stares at me, not knowing what to do. Shit, I really messed up right now and I can't undo it. If I could...I would and I would have just said no to her. Forget the deal, the kids can find out because I didn't actually do it and I wouldn't be caught dead in that stupid little outfit!

"You...you really like it?" Effie asks me and I see the excitement in her eyes. I know that I can't say no to her and I'm just going to give in. Sighing I know what is going to come out of my lips, because I want to please her and because I don't want the kids to find out. "Haymitch?"

I nod my head and sigh. "Yes, Effie...I'll wear it. It looks fine..."

Effie is jumping up and down. She hands me the outfit and runs out of the house. This leaves me alone with Katniss and I know what is going to happen. Katniss has an amused expression on her face and she shakes her head a little. I glare at her and she smiles a wide smile.

She nods her head and laughs. "You love Effie, just admit it. Peeta would wear that outfit for me and you know it! That is true love, Haymitch."

"This does not leave this house!" I glare at her and she smiles wider. "No telling Peeta or anyone. Do you understand, Katniss?"

**Hehe! Thanks for reading! Please leave a review! What do you think? I'm in a Paramore mood so the music isn't really helping me, but I can't write without Paramore on right now. Hopefully all of you liked it! :D **


	6. Chapter 6: The Party

**Hey everyone! I hope that all of you like the story so far and that all of you like this new chapter. :D Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. This story is fun to write and I love getting into their heads. Haymitch and Effie forever! :D  
Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

Effie POV:

I'm starting to get nervous about the party, what if Haymitch does something stupid? Okay, I do have to admit I do careless and maybe I should throw him a party for his birthday. His birthday is next week and no one celebrates it, so that one will be a little more like his kind of partying-maybe. Quickly I finish setting up everything with a small smile on my lips. There! Everything looks perfect and I'm so excited for everyone to start showing up. Hazelle brings out he last of the food and I smile at her. She smiles at me and I tell her that everything's in place. With the smile still on my lips I turn and run up the stairs to get ready for the party. I smile at the dress hanging in my bathroom. A light pink dress (to match Haymitch), the dress goes down to just below my knees and has spaghetti straps. Looking at myself in the mirror I smile and I put on the light pink heels that match it perfectly!

A light knock on the door has me running down the stairs, but I frown a little when I see that its Katniss, Peeta and Acacia. Composing myself I walk over to them and say hello. Peeta smiles as he puts a cake down on the table and I can't help but smile. We talk for a few minutes and more people start to show up. Everyone except for Haymitch is here right now and I'm starting to get a little nervous. I watch as everyone is talking and smiling, well everyone except for me. He better not miss my party or else I'm going to kill him! Forget about being a lady!

While I'm thinking I'm walking around the room with a small smile on my lips and I almost walk into someone. I look up to see who it is and apologize, but when I see who it is I'm in too much shock. To my surprise he's wearing the outfit that I picked out for him and he really did clean up. Haymitch can pass as a gentleman tonight! My eyes look at every inch of him, trying to find something that shows the normal Haymitch, but there isn't one little mistake. Standing here I shake my head a few times and he laughs. His laugh is an unfamiliar sound to me, but I like it, its a sound that I want to hear more. We just stand here staring at each other for a few minutes.

"Do I look that good? I knew that I shouldn't have dressed up this way, now you must think that I'm irresistible." A blush seeps into my cheeks and I look down, trying to hide what I'm really feeling. Haymitch looks around and nods his head a little. "Nice party. You look nice too.."

"Thanks, um...so do you. I was right when I thought that that would look perfect on you." My gaze drops to the floor for a minute and when my eyes go back up, they meet his. For the first time in a while they look soft and I don't know if I've ever seen them this soft. "Haymitch, thanks for coming...it means a lot to me. Why don't you go and talk to the others? Katniss and Peeta are here."

Haymitch snorts and walks off, but he turns back to look at me one last time. "Those kids are getting on my nerves. Neither of them will leave me alone or give me a break. I have no idea why either...why would anyone want to be around a guy like me?"

"I would." The words are out of my lips before I can stop them. My cheeks start to turn even redder and I turn away to go into the kitchen. Sitting in here I feel like a complete idiot! How could I say something that obviously stupid to him? Obviously now he knows that I've been thinking about him. Taking a deep breath I open my eyes and stand up. "Effie Trinket, this is your party...so go out there and enjoy it."

When I reach the door for a minute I think about staying in here for a little while longer, but I end up pushing the door out of the way. Smiling I stand beside Madge who looks a little out of place. Her eyes keep wandering towards Gale and I smile at her. Even though its obvious that the two of them like each other they aren't together. It really annoys me when two people who are perfect for each other don't know it or they won't admit it. I shake my head and laugh lightly, this makes her look at me. She looks confused and I give her a knowing smile.

"What?" She asks me and I notice that she's wearing a light gray strapless dress. It matches the color of Gale's eyes and I shake my head a little. "Effie?"

I smile at her and shake my head a few times. "Why don't you go talk to Gale? You two would make a cute couple and you two like each other..."

"Um...I might in a few minutes." Madge looks down and I watch as her cheeks start to redden. Yep, I was right and now she can't deny it. She looks up and starts to walk away, but she stops. "Effie...you and Haymitch would make a cute couple too. Maybe you should go talk to him."

"Um..." She turns away and shakes her head. "No we wouldn't...ticking time bomb."

Haymitch POV:

I come to her party in the outfit that she picked out for me and I give her a compliment, but now she's staying as far away from me as possible. Shaking my head I stand with the kids, yes I'm still with them as I stare at her. Every few minutes her gaze comes up to meet mine and she looks away. The way that her cheeks redden makes me smile a little. Why don't I just go over to her? Oh, because the last few times that I tried to get near her she disappeared or ran away from me. My head is pounding as I try to think everything through, because its not making sense. Effie is supposed to want to be around me, well...if she likes me and I thought that she did, but now it looks like she doesn't. Katniss mumbles something and I look over at her.

"What?" I ask and she shakes her head. There's a smile on both of their lips as they look at each other and nod their heads. Now what? Are they going to keep assuming that me thinking about Effie means that I love her? They have made a huge mistake. No, Effie Trinket annoys me and that's why I think about her so much. "Sorry...I was-"

"Too busy watching Effie? Why don't you go and talk to her?" Katniss looks excited as she says this and I look at her for a second. Well...I really don't want to marry anyone, because it leads to children and I already have two that aren't mine. "Just go talk to her! She wants you to and both of you are acting like two children who like each other. Haymitch, did you really get dressed up just to stand here and talk to us?"

I look down for a minute and think about the whole thing. My gaze goes back up to Effie and I smile a small smile. "Fine, I'll go try and talk to her. But not because I like her anything, its because it is her party and its the polite thing to do. I'll be back in a few minutes."

With Katniss and Peeta's eyes on me, I walk towards Effie. She doesn't notice that I'm walking towards her, until I'm right next to her. Effie turns around after she look back over at the kids, noticing that I'm gone and turns to flee to the kitchen. But I catch her and she stares up at me with wide eyes. I slowly pull her towards the kitchen, where we can be alone for a few minutes. Once the door closes behinds us we turn to stare at each other. There's a nervous look on her face and I can't help but smile. Okay, maybe I do like Effie...a little.

"I can't be in here-" she starts to say, but I cut her off with my lips on hers. She responds to my kiss the way that I knew she would. We stand here and when we break apart, she looks up at me in shock. "Um...I have guest out there and I need to get back out there..."

Effie runs out of the kitchen and I stand here to try to figure out how I feel about the kiss. Something shocked me though, because Effie was the one to run out of the kitchen. Maybe she won't allow herself to see how she feels about me. Oh, well...she will soon. With a small shrug I walk out of the kitchen and almost walk right into her again. Her face is flushed of all color and she looks up at me for a minute. A small smile is on my lips as I look down at her and I start to walk away, but she stops me.

"Haymitch...wait a minute." I turn back to her and I hate the fact that I like having her hand on my arm. She looks nervous and removes her hand. Our eyes are locked and I have the urge to kiss her right here, right now, in front of every person in this room. "We have to talk after the party...okay?"

I nod my head and walk away as though it means nothing to me. When I reach the kids both of them stare at me with questioning eyes. "So what did I miss? Anything interesting?"

"No, what did we miss?" Katniss asks and I smile at her. Oh, wouldn't she like to know. "Did you kiss Effie again? That would make this the...third time?"

Peeta smiles a wide smile and nods his head. "You look good. I'm glad to see that you used that hair gel that I showed to you. Makes you look-"

"Hair gel?" Katniss stares at me and I nod my head. "On what hair?"

"I still have some hair!" She shakes her head and laughs. This girl is getting on my nerves and all that I want is for her and that boy to go do whatever they do. "Why don't you go help that friend of yours get with that boy that she likes?"

Katniss crosses her arms and smiles at me. "Because I have to help you with Effie, first."

**Thanks for reading! Please leave a review! What do you think? Like it or not? :D I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I hope that everyone likes it. (Thank you for the song suggestion! I've been listening to it and I love the song now. Haha, its so Effie and Haymitch!)**

**(New Updating Info: Sunday, Tuesday, Friday -Bella Cullen: A Happily Ever After? & Acacia Lily Yarrow Coin: Jabberjay Monday, Thursday, Saturday -Bella Swan: Can It Be Love?, Can Love Last?, & Effie & Haymitch: True Love?. Sorry, its just becoming too much updating every day and I want to make sure that I keep writing the best chapters possible. Thanks! :D )**


	7. Chapter 7: We Have A Talk

**Hey everyone! I hope that everyone likes the story so far and that all of you like this next chapter. Going to my cousin's house for the night, so I'm updating right now so that you don't get it late tomorrow. :D Updates will go back to normal on Suday. :D The ending I think that everyone will enjoy. :D I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else! :D Okay, I'll let you get to the new chapter now. **

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

Effie POV:

The party is almost over and I am anxious for it to just be over. I walk around and try to act like myself, but part of me is nervous about talking to Haymitch later. What is he going to say? Hoping is clearly not the best thing when it comes to Haymitch, because chances are that he's going to say that he doesn't like me or anything. After that last kiss I can't ignore it, I do like him and I know it. Can't we just move forward? My heart starts to pound harder as people start to leave and a part of me wants to call them back, to keep them here forever. But I have to see what he has to say and if he pushes me away again, what will happen? Peeta and Katniss walk over to me, now these two I can have stay for a while longer. With a small smile on my lips I ask to hold onto Acacia and they hand her over to me.

"She is so adorable! You two better have more kids!" I smile at them and they both look down with a small smile on their lips. With a growing smile I start to bounce little Aca up and down. "Who's Panem's cutest baby? Little Ace! You are going to act just like your mommy."

"I hope so. She would be one lucky kid." Peeta says and Katniss just rolls her eyes, but I see the smile playing on her lips. He pulls her close to him and kisses her on the top of the head. "Well, we should get going. There's lots of work to do and Acacia needs a nap."

I watch them as they walk over to Haymitch and say good bye. Hazelle is the only person who's here with us now and she's starting to clean up. Standing here I play with my hands, me and my big mouth! My eyes flicker over to Haymitch and I see that he's staring at me too. Why am I so nervous? It's simple, he likes me and I like him. That kiss proved it and sooner or later we'll have to get together. Doesn't that sound about right? Unless he can come up with some reason that we shouldn't be together.

"You wanted to talk?" Haymitch's voice brings me back to reality and I find myself staring into his eyes. Slowly I nod my head and he just stands in front of me. "What did you want to talk about?"

Looking down I brush my hair behind my ears and take a deep breath. Be confident, be confident and I look up into his eyes. "I wanted to talk about that kiss and what it means. We should talk about us and what's going on. Not knowing is horrible."

"Us? You want to talk about us? Well, let's see...you are Effie and I'm Haymitch." I roll my eyes knowing that he wouldn't take this seriously and I turn away from him. He catches my arm and turns me back to face him. "Effie, what do you want from me? Haven't I already told you that I'm not ever going to marry anyone? After I lost everyone...I just can't...the kids are enough and I can't add you to the mix."

"So let me gut this straight then. You don't want to be with me in any way, shape or form, but you don't mind kissing me every few days?" He nods his head and I want to slap him. "Fine, you don't want to be with me and I'll respect that. But you have to do something for me too."

Haymitch looks like he already regrets what he said, but he nods his head. "What do you want me to do? I'll do whatever it is..."

"You are not to kiss me anymore or anything like that." He nods his head and I fear tears starting to form in my eyes as I think about something else. "We only talk to each other at events and stuff like that, no more friend stuff."

"No more friends?" I nod my head and he shakes his. Haymitch really does look confused and I just want him out of my house. "Do you really want that?"

"Do I really want that?" I ask with a bitter laugh and I shake my head. His eyes stay locked with mine as I lead him to my front door and open it. "That is what you want and I'm just giving you what you want."

He stares at me and shakes his head. "Effie, I want to be friends with you. You are the one who's calling that off and I don't know why."

"You kissed me more than once and I can't go back." Before he can say anything else I gesture towards the door and he walks out it. "Good bye, Haymitch."

I shut the door and walk up the stairs to my room, where I allow myself to break. The tears start to fall down my cheeks as I realize that I'll never be with him. Haymitch, he's the only man that I've been attracted to for years and he doesn't want to be with me. Laying down on my bed the tears continue to fall down my cheeks.

Haymitch POV:

Standing here I try to think about what I just did and what will happen now. Why couldn't I of told her the truth? The look on her face after I said the words, it killed me to see her like that. Effie can't possibly love me or like me in anyway, she deserves better. Maybe I should try and talk to her...well, I can't right now. She won't want to talk to me, yeah I'll try and talk to her after she calms down. Of course that isn't what I do, no, stupid me turns around and knocks on the door. Hazelle answers the door and looks shocked.

"Hi, Hazelle." She says hi back and stares at me for a few minutes. "Um, do you know where Effie is? I need to talk to her about something."

Hazelle nods her head, but she stays in the doorway. "She went up to her room. Effie had a long day and needs to rest. I'll let her know that you stopped by though. Haymitch...I heard what you said to her and I don't understand why you did. When you two were talking she implied that she wanted to be with you and you had to go ruin it by saying that you don't want to be with anyone? You would be lucky to have Effie and its obvious that she wants you. Why can't you just give her that much happiness?"

I stare at her in shock and she shakes her head, she mumbles a short good bye before shutting the door. Some how I end up being the bad guy in this whole thing. Effie deserves better than someone like me and we all know it. Why are people so determined to give her someone like me? Even those blasted kids think that we would be good together. But when you love someone don't you put them first? That's what I'm trying to do. Shaking my head I walk towards my house, but something stops me and I keep walking. My feet stop right in front of Katniss and Peeta's house, looking through the window I see them sitting together. Peeta's holding onto Katniss and they are staring at the fire. He kisses her on the top of her head and I watch as she giggles. Slowly I realize that I want to hold Effie like that and before I know it I'm running back to her house.

Effie's room is...that one. Why does it have to be so high up? I grunt as I pull myself up a tree and onto the branch that's by her window. Looking into the room I see that she's laying on her bed, crying. My heart aches just seeing her cry and I wish that I could go back in time, to take back everything that I said to her. Carefully I pull myself forward and jump onto the balcony as the branch snaps. My eyes go back to Effie and I see that her eyes are on me, she looks shocked. But the shock is replaced by fury.

"What are you doing?" She yells at me as pulls the doors open. Effie's voice is louder than I ever thought it could be and she looks pissed. Her angry eyes are focused on me and I know that I'm in trouble now. "You told me what you wanted and I told you what I wanted!"

"But you don't want that and neither do I." She shakes her head and opens her mouth to shout something else at me, but I stop her. "Effie! I'm sorry, I want to be with you."

If I thought that Effie looked furious before, I was wrong. Now the expression on her face is of pure disbelief, hatred and anger. "Oh! Now you want to be with me? Really? Do you think that it works that way? That just because you come here and tell me that NOW you want to be with me, that I'm just going to accept that and we are going to live happily ever after? No! Haymitch, NO! Do you understand? You hurt me and I don't trust you! Show me that you care about me! Show me that you want to be with me! Because I don't believe you and you know what-"

My lips are on hers and I pull her tightly to me. For a few seconds her lips react to the touch of mine, but within seconds she's pulled away from me and is out of my arms. She stares at me, her eyes are full of anger and she does the last thing that I would ever think that Effie Trinket would do, she slaps me. I do have to admit I'm shocked, never did I think that she would do that and she slapped me good too.

"That is not what I meant by show me! Kissing me doesn't prove anything anymore!" Effie is glaring at me and I can't help but smile. "Why are you smiling? Don't you understand what I'm saying?"

"Sure, of course I do." I smile at her and take a step toward her. Effie takes a step back and we continue this, until her back is against the wall. She is glaring at me, but I can tell that her heartbeat has quickened. "Tomorrow we will go on date and you will see how much I want to be with you."

She looks shocked and I see the disbelief in her eyes. "You are saying that now, but tomorrow you are going to change your mind. There will be no date..."

"No, Effie." I shake my head and her eyes soften a little. "We can do this and I know it...please? Let me prove to you that I want to be with you."

"Fine." Effie looks a little happier, but to my surprise when I try to follow her into her room, she stops me. "Nope, you are going back down the way that you came up. See you tomorrow!"

She shuts the door and pulls the curtains over the doors. I turn around and stare at the now gone branch. When I look down I don't believe for a second that she's going to make me do this, but darkness comes and the lights in the room go out. Looking back down I cuss at myself, this is why I shouldn't do this stuff...

**Woohoo! Effie and Haymitch have a date, but will Haymitch get off of the balcony without hurting himself? Did you like it? I hope that you did. I know that they keep fighting and stuff, but I always saw them like this and Haymitch would keep screwing up. Thanks for reading! Please leave a review! :D (I love those two, haha!) **


	8. Chapter 8: Panic Time

**Woohoo! Hey everyone! What do all of you think of the story so far? Like it? I am having a blast writing Effie and Haymitch. :D Thank you for reading, for the reviews, alerts/favorites and for everything else. All of the support means a lot to me and keeps the story coming. :D This is an odd thing to be writing, because I never thought that I could get into these two character's heads, but I am so happy that I did! :D Haymitch, yeah he messes up a lot, but everyone loves him for it. Haha! Effie, she is just a Capital girl who's in love with the last person that she ever thought she would love. A crazy, drunk, victor of the Hunger Games. Some how they work and I always loved them together. So...here's the new chapter. The chapter after this one will have the actual date in it. :D  
Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

Effie POV:

I wake up and feel refreshed. Today is my date with Haymitch, finally! Getting out of bed I wonder if I was too hard on him last night, maybe I should have let him come into the house and use the front door to leave. A minute later I hear light snoring and follow the sound. When I'm standing in front of the doors leading to the balcony I stare at them, wondering who it could be. Shaking my head I pull open the doors and I see Haymitch laying on the ground. Did he really sleep there all night? Okay, now I have to get him up and I don't know how to. Lightly I start to say his name and when that doesn't work I start to scream it. He doesn't move an inch and keeps snoring. Shaking my head I try screaming his name again, but it doesn't work. Deciding that I'll loose my voice before our date and never get him up, I walk out of my room and down the stairs into the kitchen. Hazelle left the moping bucket on the floor and I see that there's a little bit of soap in it. Shrugging I pick it up and fill it with water.

"Maybe this should get you up." I mumble as I head back up the stairs. The sound of my heels clicking echoes around me and I walk back out onto the balcony. Staring down at him I take a deep breath and empty the bucket onto him. As he pops up I jump back and he starts cussing. "Watch your language!"

"Effie? What the hell are you doing?" He asks me and I can't help but smile, he seems annoyed. Slowly Haymitch stands up and he stares at me for a second. I notice that his eyes scan over the length of my body and I look down. Oh no! This is just perfect! Right now I'm wearing a short pink fluffy night gown. "Why didn't you just let me walk down the stairs last night? You should have!"

"I know and I'm sorry. Don't look at me like that Haymitch Abernathy!" He smiles at me and I cross my arms over me. This doesn't help, but it allows me to do something with my arms. "You are now free to use the stairs, so go ahead. I'll see you tonight for our date."

"Yeah, the date should be good and everything will run smoothly." Haymitch smiles and nods his head. "Why don't you wear something like that, sweetheart? That would really get the ball rolling on the date."

I glare at him and he continues to smile. "Just go. No more comments like that! You are disgusting! How can you even allow something like that to slip out of your mouth?"

"Oh, its easy! That outfit is...wow!" I feel annoyed and he looks cocky. He steps into my room and I wonder if I should push him back out. That way he'd have to find another way off of the balcony. "Looks like I'll see you later then. You look nice-ow!"

I hit him with my shoe and he starts to laugh. He walks out of my room and I follow him down the hallway, after taking off both of my shoes. When I get down the stairs he's already at the front door and he looks me over one last time. For some reason I still do like him and I'm excited for our date tonight. My front door closes behind him and I run back up the stairs to try to get ready. Slowly I pull out a dress, but it won't work for tonight, so I pull out another...no. After about half an hour my closet is empty and I'm starting to panic. What am I supposed to wear tonight?

"Got to find an outfit." I mumble as I throw on a random outfit and run down the steps. "Need to find the perfect outfit, now..."

My front door opens and in walks Katniss. She smiles at me and I run right past her. Within seconds she is behind me and I shake my head a little. I only have one thought and one thought only: I need to find the perfect outfit or else the date will be ruined! 

"Effie!" Katniss says as she runs next to me. She's jogging along side me and look over at her for a second. "What are you doing?"

I stop and realize that I haven't been breathing. These shoes are not made for running. "Looking...for...an...outfit...for tonight. I have...a date...with...Haymitch."

"Finally!" She yells and starts to spin around in circles. I roll my eyes and stand up straight. Katniss stops me from walking forward. "Come on, I'll help you."

What? She can't be serious about helping me find the perfect outfit for tonight! Has she looked at herself? Her normal clothes won't do. But before I can respond, she's pulling me off towards a store. I know that store, Madge Hawthorne owns it.

Haymitch POV:

Standing in the kitchen I try to figure out what in the hell I'm doing. The dates tonight and I don't have any idea what two people do on a date. Where am I supposed to take her? Is there something that I'm supposed to do on the first date? Maybe I should just make her something small-wait, I can't cook. One of the kids can though! Peeta! That's it! I run out the front door and head toward their house, but no ones home. Cussing under my breath I start to walk towards the bakery. I know that its odd for me to admit, but I need the kid. While walking towards the bakery I start to think about what I'm going to wear, oh forget about that! Anything in my closet will do! I'm starting to sound like Effie and I cannot allow that to happen.

"Peeta!" I bark as I stomp into the bakery. He's helping a customer, but I couldn't care less right now. With a determined expression on my face I stomp over to him and I stare at the person he's helping. Oh, its just Johanna. "I need to talk to you, right now!"

He stares at me confused and Johanna rolls her eyes. Rory comes out of the back and Peeta tells him to take over with Johanna. With a smile on his lips Rory takes Peeta's spot and Peeta leads me into the back. We stand by the ovens and he turns to look at me. Now I don't know where to begin. Am I really asking a kid on advice for a first date? Oh man, do I need some help! Scratch that, I need my bottle.

"What do you need help with Haymitch? It seemed like it was pretty important." Peeta smiles as he pulls some bread out of an oven and he checks a few others. I watch as he pulls out cupcakes and I wonder if now is the right time to talk to him about this. "Haymitch? You can start talking whenever you want to."

Taking a deep breath I look up at him. "I have a date with Effie tonight and I don't know where to take her or what to do. Our first date has to go perfectly if I want a chance with her and she is expecting the best. So what do you suggest that I do?"

"The dates tonight and you don't have anything planned out for it?" Peeta smiles and shakes his head a little. I stand here and wait for him to start telling me what to do. "Why don't you have her over to your place? That way it will be some where cozy and it won't be overwhelming." 

"Wait, my house? You do realize that my house is not exactly the perfect place to woo a woman." Peeta looks up at me and starts laughing. Is there something funny about the situation that I'm in? "Come on, Peeta! Be serious! I need help right now and I don't have a lot of time."

"Sorry, I'm just not used to you admitting that you want to woo a woman." Peeta says and he chuckles lightly. I stare at him as he thinks about the situation for a minute. "Follow me..."

He leads me through a door off to the side, down a small hallway and into a small room. The walls are a light creamy white and there's a small table in the center of the room with a few chairs around it. It looks like the perfect room for two people to go who want to be alone. Peeta turns to me and smiles a small smile.

"Do you want to use this room for the date? I can make some food and we can fix it up a bit." Peeta pushes two of the chairs out of the way and smiles. "This room was the place that Katniss and I used to go to be...alone. Our first dates after being married happened here and now we use it to have some meals in. The extra chairs will be for when we have more kids-Aca comes in here all the time..."

"You are really offering this room to me for tonight?" He smiles at me and nods. I can't believe that he's actually doing this for me. "But...why?"

Peeta smiles at me and just shrugs. "Us guys in love got to stick together, don't we?"

"Yeah...sure." I smile and laugh lightly. "Looks like you are mentoring me now. What a change of roles, huh kid? Any advice for the guy getting back into the game?"

"You'll do fine with Effie." He says to me as we walk out of the room. Peeta smiles at me as we walk back down the hallway. "Just...don't drink."

"Oh! I would never dream of doing that!" I roll my eyes at him and he laughs. "Great advice! Really, Peeta!"

He stops and smirks at me. "If I remember correctly the first advice that we ever got from you was, stay alive."

**Woohoo! Okay, what do you think of it so far? Like it? :D Thank you for reading and please leave a review! Haymitch and Effie are fun to write about! :D **

**(Hm...dressing them should be fun and so should the date! How do you think the date will go? Will Haymitch woo the girl that he loves or will things just go down hill? Okay, I just like typing haha! Hope that all of you have a good Valentines Day!) **


	9. Chapter 9: You Look Fine

**Hey everyone! I hope that all of you like the story so far and that all of you like this chapter. This story means a lot to me and I'm having a blast with it! :D Thank you for reading, for all of the reviews and everything else. I am so glad that I did this story and I am having a blast writing it. :D Head over to two of my friends pages It-Was-Enchanting and The Pen My Sword, check out their stories if you are looking for some AWESOME fanfictions! I love both of their writing and their stories are amazing. So check them out and thank you!  
Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(I listened to Learning To Breath by Switchfoot, just in case that you want to listen to the song along with this chapter. The song really did help me and I think that I might listen to it when I write the date. Hopefully all of you like this chapter!)**

Effie POV:

Standing in front of the mirror I start to wonder if I made the right choice, a red sundress. The dress is beautiful, but is it the right one? I look down and try to tell myself that I look fine, really I know I do...but I don't know. Katniss comes walking into the room and she smiles at me as I stare at myself in the mirror. Looking down I notice that a little bump is making its way onto her stomach. I stare at her, she never said that she was pregnant again. She looks me up and down with a smile on her lips. Obviously she thinks that I look fine for the date, but I'm screaming at myself on the inside. Tonight has to go perfectly and I need to look perfect. Turning I look at myself in the mirror again, but my mind is now on Katniss and her small bump. When she turns away she walks over to my bed and sits down. We smile at each other and I walk over to the bed to put on my heels.

"So how far along are you?" I ask her and she stares at me in shock. Obviously she thinks that no ones going to notice, but she can't be oblivious forever. Katniss shakes her head a little and laughs. "How far along are you? It's obvious that you're getting a bump."

"I'm only a few months along. Not many people know..." She looks down and touches the small bump with her hand, lightly. Katniss looks up at me and sighs. "Peeta wanted more kids and I agreed to one more. This is the last one-I swear it will be!"

I laugh lightly and stand up to look at myself in the mirror again. "Didn't you say that the after you got pregnant with Acacia and after you gave birth to her? Chances are with the two of you that you are going to have at least four in total...why are you looking at me that way?"

"Not four. My body won't be able to go through that. Plus...I'm terrified of carrying a baby around for nine months and once its out of me how am I supposed to protect the child?" It sounds like she's talking more to herself, so I just nod my head a little as I stare at my hair. "Little Aca, is growing up so fast and I don't know what to do. How am I supposed to protect them from everything? What if they start up the Hunger Games again? I will not allow my children to be pawns of the Capital, maybe we should move..."

Sighing I turn back to face her and shake my head a little. "Katniss, everything is fine and your children will be safe. Just calm down, okay? The Capital is fine and Paylor is President, there will be no more Hunger Games. Maybe you need to get out on a date more then I do."

"You look nice, Effie. Really, you do." She says as she stands up and I smile at her as she walks toward my bedroom door. Our eyes meet as I stare at myself in the mirror and she smiles. "Haymitch is lucky to have you and hopefully he doesn't screw it up. Try and cut him some slack though...he screws up A LOT."

I laugh as Katniss walks out of my room and the door closes behind her. Well, its almost time for Haymitch to come pick me up and I know that everything will go good tonight...it has to. Taking a deep breath I walk out of my bedroom and down the stairs. Hazelle is finishing up cleaning and I tell her to go home, she smiles at me and leaves. Slowly I sit down on the couch to wait for Haymitch, the dates still on...the dates still on...if he stands me up I'll kill him or I'll have Katniss kill him for me.

"Half an hour. Only half an hour to go." I whisper to myself as I stare at the wall. This is ridiculous! Why am I just sitting here waiting? Because I don't want to mess up my make up or anything, that's why. "Haymitch and Effie...Effie and Haymitch. Sounds good, but...a little odd."

'_Effie Abernathy.'_ I think that to myself and shake my head a little. Don't get ahead of yourself Effie, its just a date. It's just a date.

_'Why are you going on a date with Haymitch Abernathy?'_

_'Because I like him and I want to be with him. What's wrong with Haymitch?'_

_'Besides him being a drunk and insulting you?'_

_'All of that is forgotten and he is a fine man. I'd be lucky to be with him and you know it! Stop putting him down like that! He deserves a fair chance!'_

_'I'm going on this date and that's final!'_

Slowly I shake my head as the two voices go back and forth in my head. Maybe I'm loosing my mind a little. Do people normally have these kind of fights with themselves? I shrug a little and try to forget about it, because the right one won. Haymitch Abernathy is my date tonight.

Haymitch POV:

Suit on, tie looks good, hair good and my shoes are on. Is it bad that I'm ready half an hour early? Maybe I should go get her early...no, she's probably not ready yet. I remember her while we were in the Hunger Games, she took ever last second that she had to finish getting ready. Peeta is circling around me and I feel like I'm back in the damn Hunger Games. My stylist is dissecting me and I've always hated that feeling. Shaking my head I feel Peeta tugging on my tie, again-for the millionth time. Can't the kid just leave the tie alone? It's fine and we both know it. Finally the kid stops and he stares at me one last time, before nodding his head. With a wide smile on his lips he walks into the kitchen and I follow him, before I know it he's shoved a white basket full of pink roses into my hands.

"What are these things?" I ask him and he starts to laugh. There are so many different kinds of flowers and I've never been really fond of them. Looking down at the flowers I see that they are a light pink and the basket has a small pink bow around it. "Flowers? Really?"

"Yes and roses are her favorite. You know that pinks her favorite color and that's why they are pink." Peeta tells me and he smiles at me as he looks at me again. "Okay, I think you're ready for your date! They grow up so fast..."

"Shut up or I'll punch you again." I say, but Peeta just laughs. Slowly I walk back into the sitting room and stare at Peeta, waiting for him to leave. "You can go if you want to."

Peeta shakes his head. "Not until you leave for your date."

"I can't go yet! She's probably not ready." The words are out of my mouth and Katniss walks into my house. Great, now she's here too. Looking at her I smile, because I notice her small bump. "Got something to tell me, kids? Having another little one?"

"Yes and by the looks of it you must be having triplets Haymitch." Katniss growls back and I can't help but laugh. This girls too much like me for her own good. "Come on Peeta, we have to go get Aca from Prim. Haymitch...Effie's ready and waiting, so why don't you go pick her up?"

"What? She can't possibly be ready yet!" I say to her and Katniss stares at me as though I'm delusional. "That woman's never ready, until the last second! I know her!"

Katniss nods her head. "Well, she's early this time. Bye." 

The two of them leave and I stand here with the basket in my hands. Maybe I should go over there early, yeah...go early. I walk out the front door and towards her house, but I stop and stare at her house. Tonight will be perfect, everything will be perfect...don't be nervous. Why am I going on a date? Haven't I learned that being involved with a woman gets leaves me with a broken heart? Of course I have, but it seems like those blasted kids and this woman don't understand that. You want to be with Effie...you want to be with Effie. She won't hurt you, its just one date and you want to try to be with her. Just try it. What do you have to loose?

"It's now or never..." I mumble to myself and I walk up to her front door. She answers on the first knock and I am blown away when I see her. Effie's in a light blue dress that goes down to her knees and I have to admit she looks great! "You look great, Effie!"

"Really?" She looks down and I see the smile forming on her lips. "Thank you. Haymitch, you look handsome."

I stare at her for a few minutes and then I remember the flowers. "These...these are for you. You like flowers...don't you? Roses? Pink?"

"Um...yes." She takes the basket from me and her smile grows wider as she looks down at the basket. I watch as she sets them on the small table next to the door. "They are beautiful...thank you."

"Your welcome." I say to her in a calm voice and I feel myself getting a little more nervous. How long has it been since I've had a girlfriend? A long time... "Are you ready to get going?"

"Oh, yes...of course!" She says and she steps out the front door. We walk side by side out of Victors Village and we smile at each other. "So...where are we going?"

I smile at her and think of a few places that I would like to go... "You'll see. It's a surprise."

**Haha! Okay, the date will be fun to write and I wanted to write part of it from Effie's POV, because most of the time the big stuff has been from Haymitch's POV. So what do you think? Like it so far? Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D It took me a long time to write this chapter, because I wanted to get it just right and I'm happy with the way that it came out. Now for the date... :D (HungerGamesCrazy and It-Was-Enchanting thank you so much for telling me to do this story. I thought about doing a Effie and Haymitch one before, but you two helped me get to writing this one. So thank you and I hope that you two like it so far! :D )**


	10. Chapter 10: I Want More

**Hey everyone! I hope that all of you like the story so far and that all of you like the new chapter. Okay, its what everyone's been waiting for...THE DATE! :D This was a fun chapter to write and I'm so happy that I get to share it with everyone. Thank you for reading, for all of the reviews and everything else. Sorry that this one took a while to get up, I wanted to make it perfect and I'm really happy with the way that it ended up. **

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(Does anyone have anymore Effie and Haymitch song suggestions? Haha, I keep looking for more and yesterday I heard a song that someone suggested. I have to admit I started laughing and my sister looked at me like I was insane. Okay, onto the new chapter and the race! Go Dale Jr!) **

Effie POV:

He leads me into the bakery and I stare at him as though he's lost his mind, because obviously he has. But there's this wide smile on his lips as he takes my hand and leads me into the back. The feeling of his hand on mine makes me shiver a little, the warmness and how soft his hands are. I love his touch and I want more from him-I want his lips crushing mine, but I have to calm down. This is our first date and it has to go perfectly. When we are standing in front of a door I stare at him, just waiting and he stares at me as he pushes open the door. Carefully I take a step into the room and I almost fall over. It's beautiful! The room's a light creamy white, there's a small a small table in the center of the room covered in a white table cloth, two chairs, candles and a white rose on one of the plates. Haymitch is still staring at me as he leads me over to the table and I sit down.

"This is...wonderful. Really, I love it and I'm just blown away." I say as Haymitch puts down a bowl in front of me and one where he's going to sit. Looking into the bowl I see that its a dark brown, with stuff floating around inside of it. "Did you make this? I'm sure that it'll taste wonderful!"

"Oh it does and no, I didn't make it. Greasy Sae did." He smiles as I take my first spoonful of my soup and he does the same. It slides down my throat and taste good. "She did a good job with today's batch. Hopefully there isn't any wild dog in it, of course you never know."

I almost spit the soup out of my mouth as I stare at him. Did he really just say wild dog? That's insanity and disgusting! "Wild dog? She uses wild dog in her soups? That better be a joke, Haymitch!"

"Nope, its true. But I doubt that she did today, I heard her talking to Gale and it sounds like tomorrow's might. They got a wild dog yesterday and she sounds excited about that batch." He smiles and continues to eat his soup. I try to smile at him, but its too hard to do. "Go ahead, Effie, eat up! This is really good soup and we still have dessert. What do you think about the soup?"

"Oh, it taste good. Does she usually use wild dog in her soup?" He does a small shrug and I stare down at my bowl, with wide eyes. It's okay, just eat it and don't think about it. "Did Peeta make the dessert? I really can't wait to see what it is...you know I really do love dessert."

"Oh, I know! So do I!" He says as he finishes off his bowl and he smiles at me. I look down at my bowl and know that I'll have to eat it. Slowly I pick back up the spoon and I start to eat the soup. "I knew that you'd like that soup! Maybe I'll get you some to take home."

"That would be wonderful." I say and he smiles at me. We stare at each other for a few minutes and he leaves to get the dessert. Perfect time to get rid of a little bit of the soup. Carefully I pick up the bowl and walk over to the sink. Tilting it a little I pour out enough so that I can say that I'm full. "Perfect...good..."

I'm back in my seat before Haymitch comes back into the room and I smile when I see that he's carrying one large plate. He puts one of the smaller plates down in front of me and I see that its in the shape of a bun, its chocolatey. A smile forms on my lips as I see that there's a bright pink flower where the hole is. Haymitch sits down and we smile at each other. Quickly he cuts into his and I see that he's eating the flower. The flower is breaking apart and I smile when I see that its like a cookie. When I break into it, I smile when I see that a thick chocolate syrup gushes out of the cookie and the cake. I take a bite and I smile as the tastes explodes in my mouth.

"This is wonderful!" I say in an excited voice. He starts to laugh as he stares at me and I keep eating my cake. "Peeta did a great job with this!"

Haymitch laughs as he finishes off his piece of cake. "You really like it? The boy did a good job, didn't he? Don't know what was going through his mind with that flower."

"It was a cute touch and it taste good." He nods his head a little and I see the pride in his eyes. Even though he tries not to show it, I know that he's proud of the kids. "You should be proud."

"Proud?" He snorts and I smile at him. I stare at him as he nods his head a little. "Those two...mean a lot to me and I am proud of them."

I smile at him. "They are proud of you too...you are doing good and making yourself happier."

Haymitch POV:

I look down and smile a little. Maybe letting someone in isn't that bad of an idea and maybe it will be good. Effie is a good woman and maybe this is how everything's supposed to go. Our eyes lock again and I feel the urge to kiss her, but I stop myself. Wait until the end of the night, don't move too fast. We finish eating and I lead her out of the bakery, the sun is setting when we make it back to her house. Slowly she turns to stare at me. There's an expression on her face, one of want and need.

"I had a nice time tonight, Haymitch." She smiles at me and brushes her hair behind her ear. The way that her hair moves makes me want to touch it, to brush my fingers through her hair and tangle my fingers in her hair. Effie looks up at me and looks down at the ground. "Thank you...I had a nice time."

"So did I." I say and she bites her lip a little. For a second she looks like she might say something, but she turns away and opens the door to her house. Before I know what I'm doing, I grab onto her arm and pull her back around to face me. Her eyes are wide and I quickly kiss her. "See you tomorrow..."

Her eyes open a little and she stares at me for a second. Before I can do anything or say anything else, she puts one of her hands to my face and strokes my cheek. I feel her lips on mine and I wrap my arms around her. We break apart and she smiles at me, slowly she bites on her bottom lip. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow and maybe...we could go on another date soon? I had a really nice time..."

The door shuts behind her and I smile as I turn away from her house. Slowly I walk back to my house and I open the door to my house. Everything went perfectly and I know that I have to make another date-another perfect date. Ah, that went better then I thought it would have. Walking into my kitchen I open a cabinet door and take out a glass. Slowly I fill it with water and take a sip. I turn around and see Katniss standing in the doorway of my kitchen, making me spit out my water and she smiles.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I demand and she just laughs as she throws a towel at me. Today was a great day and now she has to show up in my house? "How did you get in here so quietly?"

"Oh, Haymitch...you know how I am." She says with a small smile and she sits down on the counter top. I shake my head at her and she just smiles away. "How did the date go? From the looks of it, it seems like it went good."

"It was okay. Nothing special." The girl is insane if she thinks that I'm going to stand here and talk to her about what happened on the date. But she just smiles away and I roll my eyes. "We had a nice time and are going out again. Happy? Or do you need more information?"

"Oh, I don't need any information. I saw that little...show that you two gave." She says this and I want to throw something at her. The amused look on her face tells me that she already knows everything. "So...another date? Where are you thinking about taking her?"

"I'll start planning that tomorrow." I grumble to her and she continues to smile at me. "Can't you just leave me alone? Today was a great day and you are ruining my mood."

She smiles at me and jumps off of the counter. "Bye, Haymitch. I'll just go see Effie and see how she feels about the whole thing. Peeta should be over later and he can give you some more pointers for the second date."

Before I can say anything to her, she's out of the room and I cuss under my breath. Well...I know that Effie and I both had a nice time, now I just have to make sure that everything keeps going right. I want to make her happy, but I have a flash back to my last girlfriend. Emma, she died at the hands of the Capital and I swore that I'd never get that close to anyone again. Too late for that now...

"Haymitch, Haymitch, Haymitch." I mumble to myself as I sit down in a chair at my small table. At times like these I wish that I hadn't of given up drinking. "This woman is already changing you and there is nothing that you can do about it. You want to be with her."

The truth is right there and I know it. From the second that I kissed Effie I knew that there was no going back and now I know that I'm even farther in. I want to make her happy and have her kiss me. Shit, what did I just do? Well, looks like all that I can do is just go with it and try to make her happy. The worst part is that I want more of her kisses and to be apart of her, forever.

**Woohoo! Hopefully all of you liked it! :D The date was fun to write and I enjoyed it. Thank you for reading and please leave a review. :D Okay, time to watch the race with my sister, which is part way what I've been doing with the pre-race stuff. :D GO DALE JR! **


	11. Chapter 11: What Should I Do Now?

**Woohoo! Hey everyone! The new chapter is right here and I might have had a little too much fun with it. :D Thank you for reading, for all of the reviews and everything else. Oddly I am having a really easy time writing the two of them, even though it took me a while to first get into them. :D Effie and Haymitch time! **

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**(Who do you like more Effie or Haymitch? :D Hehe, I have to ask!)**

Effie POV:

Sitting down in the kitchen I pick up a tea cup and start to make some tea. I turn around with my cup of tea and a mile on my lips. Katniss walks into the room and I almost jump. How does this girl get into houses, without making any sounds? With a small smile on my lips I walk back over to the kitchen table and sit down. She smiles at me as she walks farther into the room and sits down across from me. My gaze drops down to the table and I smile to myself. Oh, I don't know if I should talk to her about tonight or not. When my gaze goes back up to her eyes, she smiles at me and my smile widens. The two of us sit here in silence as I try to decide how much to tell her and if I should at all. Of course I need to talk to someone and she's the only person here.

"So, how did the date go?" Katniss asks me and I smile even wider. I start to bite my lip thinking about the night and how I wish that the kiss had never ended. "Haymitch wasn't really in a talking mood, but he seemed in a really good mood. I've never seen him in such a good mood." 

"You saw him? How was he?" She smiles even wider and I know that I have to watch what I say. I take a deep breath and smile at her. "Did he have a good time? He told me that he did, but you never know when Haymitch is being true or not. It looked like he enjoyed the date."

Katniss smiles at me and starts to nod her head a bit. "He was happy and he seemed to of had a good night. Of course, Haymitch being Haymitch he wouldn't talk. What about you? Did you have a good time with Haymitch on the date? You both seem...really happy."

"I had a really good time. Haymitch was so...proper and so good." The way that she's looking at me is as though she's going to search for more. We smile at each other and I look down at my tea cup. "I just have one small question, does Greasy Sae usually use wild dog in her soup? He said something about her sometimes using it in the soup, but that he heard her talking to Gale and that she said that there was none in this batch."

"It depends on what we catch for her. Sometimes she does and she's one of the only people who will take wild dogs from us." She says to me with a wide smile and my face drops a little. "But yesterday we didn't get any wild dog or the day before, so I think that you're safe. Don't worry about that, the wild dog isn't that much different from the other meats she uses and its meat."

"Ugh, how could anyone possibly think that? I can't believe that he told me about the wild dog while I was eating it!" Katniss starts to laugh and I shake my head a little. We stare at each other and she keeps laughing. "I don't understand why he told me about it! Doesn't he understand how unappetizing the soup sounded after he told me that?"

"Effie, here in District Twelve no one really cared what they were eating if it kept them alive. With people who've always lived in the Districts, they wouldn't care." She says in a low voice and I nod my head a little as she plays with her wedding band. My eyes drop down to her stomach. "I know how you feel though, sometimes we would walk in with a wild dog and Greasy Sae would tell me if there was any in that days batch. But I would have eaten it anyways."

"It was wonderful though, the whole dog thing and all." I say with a small smile and my eyes flicker towards the window. Haymitch is in his kitchen and I see that he's sitting at the table with Peeta. These kids know what their doing, I'll give them that. Acacia is on Peeta's lap and I can't help but smile. "He is a wonderful man and I can't wait to see what happens on our next date."

She smiles at me and nods her head a little. "You'll have a great time on your next date. Every date is special in its own way and my first date with Peeta, was after we got married. Haymitch is happy with you and I can see that you are happy with him."

Katniss stands up and walks into the sitting room. I smile at her as she says good bye and leaves the house. Walking over to the window I watch to see if she goes over to Haymitch's house and of course she walks right up to the door. Katniss walks into the house and I can't help but laugh. Now Haymitch has both of them and I wish him luck with that.

"Good luck." I whisper as I back away from the window. A small smile forms on my lips as I watch Katniss walk into the room and I start to laugh as he throws his hands up in the air. "Oh...now you have all three of them. Enjoy them, you don't know how lucky you are."

Haymitch POV:

I shake my head as Peeta questions me about how my night went and that little girl with the light pink bow on her dress stares at me. These kids just won't leave me alone! Acacia's little hand reaches out to me and I can't help but smile, she's getting closer to walking. Yesterday I saw her crawling around on the floor and I couldn't help but laugh. Katniss started chasing the little girl around the room, putting pillows down around the house just in case and she looked like she was insane. Right now I really wish that I could have one small sip of my alcohol, because I could really use some right now. Shouldn't these kids be leaving me alone a little more now? Effie and I went on a date why make a big deal out of it? Doesn't it seem like it wouldn't be the biggest thing to hit District Twelve?

"Why don't you go home to the love of your life? You two could talk about my date and you'd get more of a response out of her, then you will me." I shake my head and start to laugh. But my eyes flicker over to the window and I sigh when I see Katniss sitting across from her. The two of them look like they are happy and I wonder what they are talking about. Did Effie have a good time? I'm not supposed to care and for some reason I do! This is wonderful, after all of this time pushing away from everyone it comes crumbling down on me. "I promised her a second date. Where do you think I should take her? She really seemed to enjoy tonight."

"Are you going off of what she told you or off of how she's acting with Katniss?" I look over at him and he's smiling. "Come on, you are finally doing good and you have Effie."

I shake my head a little and Peeta rolls his eyes. "Don't say that...I do not have Effie. Jeez, after one date everyone acts like we are getting married! Really? Why don't all of you just go and gossip about this behind my back? Wouldn't that be better then doing this?"

A smile forms on Peeta's lips and I hear her voice, slowly I turn around. When I see her standing there, I through my hands up in the air and want to scream. Of course Katniss would come back! She is Katniss after all! I roll my eyes and stand up to leave the room. My eyes stay on her as she walks across the room and takes Aca from Peeta. Her and Peeta kiss, then she turns her attention onto their child. I see the joy in all of their eyes and wonder if I'll ever have that with-

"Oh, you two have to leave and now! I'm serious!" They both look over at me and they both look confused. Shaking my head a little I wonder if there's any way for me to get my hands on a bottle. "This whole...family thing is making me have second thoughts and if it keeps going I might get a bottle. Can't I just sit here and try to get back to enjoying my night? Is that too much to ask?"

Katniss smiles at me. "Do you want to start a family, Haymitch? I think that you two would be cute together and would have an...interesting family."

"After seeing yours I wouldn't doubt it." I spit back at her and she just laughs. This girl has to leave me alone and now. Peeta puts his arms around Katniss and kisses her on the top of her head as he pulls her towards the door. "Bye, I'll see you two later."

"Haymitch, I can help you plan another date...if you'd like." Peeta offers and I look over at the kid. Does he really want to just help me? When he came over he seemed genially happy for me and I know that I'm screwed now. "Effie will be happy as long as she's with you."

Katniss smiles at the two of us and nods her head. "She had a really good time and I can tell that she won't be getting much sleep tonight. It looked like she was debating with herself if she should come over here or not. Have a good night, Haymitch."

They leave me and now all that I can think about is Effie. Oh, this is just great! Now I want to see her again and I don't want to wait until the morning. Slowly I start to walk around my house and think about my options. One, I could go over to her house and be with her...like we both want to. Two, I could go back on my little promise and go back to the old Haymitch...but I could loose Effie and the kids that way. Three, go to bed...another great option. But while I'm still thinking about what to do, I walk out the front door and before I know it I'm standing in front of her house. Taking deep breaths I stare at her door and wonder where she is and what she's thinking about. Fuck this, I'm going to go and get me two big bottles.

"Haymitch?" I turn around and see her standing in the doorway. She's wearing a nightgown that stops at her knees, a light pink nightgown. "What are you doing?"

Oh shit...

**Woohoo! :D Haha, okay this chapter was kind of fun to write. I love Effie and Haymitch! Hopefully all of you liked this chapter and like this story so far! Thank you for reading and please leave a review! What will happen next? :0 You'll find out on Thursday! :D Again, thank you for all of the support!**


	12. Chapter 12: I'll Be Right Back

**Hey everyone! Do you like the story so far? HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO angelheart71337! I hope that your birthday is great and I hope that you like this chapter! This chapter I had a lot of fun with and I hope that everyone likes it! Thank you for reading, for all of the reviews and everything else! :D I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and its probably one of my favorite chapters so far.**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

Effie POV:

I stare at him, into those gray eyes and see that he looks confused. Standing here I feel a little awkward as I look back over at him. What's he doing here? Of course, he won't answer that question and all that he's doing is standing there, staring at me. His eyes never leave me or my night gown, maybe I should have worn something a little longer, but I didn't know that he was going to show up at my house. Haymitch looks into my eyes and I look down the second that our eyes meet. Maybe I should invite him in, maybe that's why he came over...so that this doesn't have to end yet. Clearing my throat I look back up at him and see that his eyes are still on me. This time when our eyes meet I smile a small smile and step away from my door, opening it a little wider.

"Would you like to..." Haymitch's eyes go wide and I feel my cheeks starting to redden. I clear my throat again and let my gaze drop to the floor. Taking a deep breath I look back up into his eyes and I smile at him. "Would you like to come in, Haymitch?"

"Yeah, sure...I mean-that sounds good." A small smile forms on my lips as he walks inside of my house and I shut the door behind me. When I turn around I see that he's already making his way into my dinning room and I quickly walk over to him. Haymitch sits down and I take the seat across from him. For a few minutes we stare at each other. "I know that this might sound a little weird, but...I had to see you again."

My smile widens and I drop my gaze to the table. "I wanted to see you again too. Tonight was wonderful and I have to thank you for that. What would you like to do?"

"Don't ask me what I'd like to do...I don't think you'd find it very appropriate." Haymitch says this and looks down at the table. I keep my eyes on him and smile at him. "Why did you have to wear that damn dress tonight? That dress is doing something to me..."

"Katniss helped me pick it out and I think that's what we were going for." We? Now its not just me, now its we? Oh, I have to thank Katniss tomorrow for talking me into wearing that dress. I smile and shake my head a little, my heart is beating fast. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Oh, yes I would!" Haymitch says and for a second he looks down at the table. When he looks back up at me I see that he's still having a problem without his bottle and I smile even wider. "I mean...yeah, that sounds good. Water or something would be nice."

I walk into my kitchen to make some tea for Haymitch and myself. While I'm making the tea I stand here and think about everything. The way that Haymitch was looking at me makes me smile a little wider. Maybe I should have Katniss help me pick out my clothes for our dates more often. Carefully I pour the tea into two white tea cups, with flowers on them and gold around the rim of the cup. Looking at them for a few seconds I smile and think to myself that they look perfect. Slowly I put them on a a tray that matches my tea set and pick it up. When I turn around I almost drop the tray, Haymitch is standing my the door leading to the dinning room. A smile is on his lips as he walks over and takes the tray from me. His lips are so close to mine and I think that he's going to kiss me, but he turns around and walks back into the dinning room. Shutting my eyes and taking a deep breath I tell myself to get a grip.

With a smile on my lips I walk into the dinning room and take my seat across from him. "Thank you, Haymitch. So, we should probably do something."

"Yeah, we could...talk." Haymitch says and I nod my head a little. Talking is good and we should probably talk a little more. "This tea set is really...like you."

"Thank you." I say and I smile at him. Was that supposed to be a compliment? I sure hope so or else I sound like a complete idiot. My tea cup is in my hands and I take a sip out of it, but my eyes never leave him. Haymitch is staring at the cup as though he's not sure what to do. "You like tea, don't you?"

Haymitch looks over at me and nods his head a little. "Yeah, I like tea. This looks...good."

"Try it." I smile at him encouragingly. Haymitch takes a small sip and I smile as he nods his head a bit. Why am I so nervous? Wasn't I just on a date with him? Everything went fine, so shouldn't I be a little more at ease? Maybe I should go upstairs and change. "Excuse me for a few minutes. I'll be right back." 

Haymitch POV:

Nodding my head I watch her as she walks out of the room and I finally allow my face to scrunch up in disgust. Yuck! How can anyone drink this stuff? I can't possibly drink this shit and how can she? Shaking my head I look around the room for an easy place to dispose a good amount of it and my eyes land on the tea pot. Carefully I pull off the lid and pour about half of the cup in. Smiling to myself I put the lid back on and sit back. When she comes back she'll think that I drank half of my cup of "tea" and it'll make her happy. Wait, I want to make her happy? Please her? Okay, now I'm really going soft. Maybe I should go and get a bottle so that I can hold onto some part of me. My eyes pop back up when I hear the clicking of her heels and I put the cup up to my lips, but I don't allow any of the tea to enter my mouth.

"I'm back, sorry if I took a long time." She smiles at me and I take her in. Did she really go upstairs to change? Now she's wearing a white spaghetti strap dress that ends just above her knees. Effie walks over to her seat and sits back down. "Do you like the tea?"

"It's definitely something." This brings a smile to Effie's lips and I want to give myself a pat on the back. One good thing about being in the Hunger Games and mentoring is that I learned how to say something so that the person can make what they want out of it. Effie obviously thinks that I meant that the tea is wonderful, while I meant something else. As long as she's happy everything's fine. "You look nice."

"Thank you...I wasn't expecting anyone to come over, so I got ready for bed." She looks down at my cup and smiles. I watch as she picks up the tea pot and fills up my cup. Her eyes lock with mine and I try to smile, but I don't know how good I did. "You really like the tea, don't you?"

"I've never tasted anything like it before." And I never want to again. Effie is all smiles and she starts talking about something, but all that I can think about is how she looks. Her hair falls down the sides of her face and I want to reach out, to touch it. My fingers are tingling to run through her hair, to tangle themselves in her hair. "You look beautiful...really you do."

She blushes and her gaze drops back to the table. I don't know what the hell she was saying, but obviously my words are what she wants to hear. "Thank you. You look nice too."

My hand reaches out to touch her and I see her eyes go wide, so instead of going for her hair, I take her hand in mine. Her skin is soft and warm. Well this is great! Now I want to touch her even more and the smile on her lips tells me that she wants the same thing. It's been a long time since I've been this close to a woman and I like it...a little too much. When I see her smile it makes me smile and I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Before I know what I'm doing I'm standing up and I walk around the table to her. Our eyes are locked and her eyes are wide. I stop in front of her and allow one of my hands to go to her hair. My fingers run through her soft hair, I didn't expect her hair to feel this way. Seconds later she's standing up and my lips are crushing her's. Her arms wrap around my neck and I hear a sigh escape from her lips. One of my hands are on her back, while my fingers are tangled in her hair. Effie pushes her body up against mine and I can't help but moan. Shit...

My eyes snap open and I push away from her. Slowly her eyes open and I see a look in them that is easy to read. "I have to go...I'll be right back." 

Quickly I run into the sitting room and out the front door. I don't stop until I'm in my house, in my room and I walk over to my window to stare at Effie's house. She walks into her room and I see the confused look on her face as she opens her closet door. My eyes stay on her as she pulls out another night gown and I turn away as she starts to undress. Wait, why did I turn away? Haymitch, you can't be doing this! What's happened to you? No, it can't be that I love Effie. Slowly I turn around and I see that she's fully dressed now. I watch her as she walks out of her room and shuts the light off behind her. Okay, this is insanity!

"What have you gotten yourself into Haymitch?" I mumble to myself and I shake my head. Maybe I should go talk to the kids. Shaking my head I walk out of my room and down the stairs. "Okay...those two are going to love this." 

I walk outside and towards the kids house. When I'm standing in front of their door, I stare at it for a second and knock. After a few minutes I think about leaving, but the door opens and Katniss stands there in shock. Oh, right...I knocked and I never knock on the door, we just walk into each others houses. Without waiting for her to say anything I walk into the house and leave her standing there in shock.

She follows me into the sitting room and I see Peeta sitting on the couch, with Acacia. "What are you doing here? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah..." I say as I pace around the room. Katniss sits down on the couch next to Peeta and they both stare at me. Even the kid is staring at me! "Listen, I need to talk to you two about...Effie."

**Oops! Sorry I had to cut it off right there! :D What did you think? Haha! I think that I love Effie and Haymitch even more since I started writing this story! Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D **


	13. Chapter 13: Finding Out What I Want

**Hey everyone! WOOHOO! Guess what time it is? It's...UPDATE TIME! WOOHOO! Thank you for reading, for all of the reviews and everything else! :D This story is fun for me to write and I'm so glad that people like it. Thank you for all of the support! :D Okay, I'll let you get to the new chapter. I hope that all of you like the story so far and that all of you like the new chapter! :D  
Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(Hm...which POV do you like more? Personally I love writing Effie's, but I have to say that Haymitch's surprises me somethings. :D So I think that I'd have to say Haymitch. What do you think? :D Oh and I was listening to I Kissed Miss Mississippi by Hilljack while typing this one, haha just thought that you'd might want to know. I feel like this is kind of Effieish because of a part in it. :D Enjoy!)**

Effie POV:

It's been five hours and Haymitch still has not come back! What is that man doing? Does he really think that he can just run out on me and leave me here? Waiting? Honestly does this man think that I have nothing better to do then to wait for him to come back and explain to me what is going on? Shaking my head I pace around my sitting room and without realizing it, I look over at his house. Letting out a deep breath I notice that he's not home and this confuses me even more. He can't possibly be out at one thirty in the morning! Maybe I should go find him? No, I can't...that would look desperate and I will not look desperate. Shaking my head I sit down on the couch and stare at his house. After a few minutes I stand up and start pacing around the room, trying to keep my eyes off of his house. Distraction, yeah...that's what I need a distraction! But what could be a distraction for me?

There's a light knock on the door and I rush to answer it. My hands on the door knob and I quickly pull the door open. I'm shocked to see Johanna Mason standing in front of me. What is this girl doing here? She doesn't live in District Twelve and she doesn't want to. She looks up at me and mumbles a small hello. I smile at her and with a more cheery hello I move away from the door to let her into my house. Silently I lead her into my sitting room and we sit down across from each other. Johanna crosses her arms and stares at me for a minute and I quickly look over at Haymitch's house again. This makes her gasp.

"So, Johanna..." I say with a small smile on my lips. We stare at each other and the look of shock on her lips makes me want to hide. Johanna must already know that I like Haymitch now. "What are you doing here? You don't live here and I don't normally see you that often..."

"I just moved here. Actually, I just got here." She says this quickly and I nod my head a little. Her eyes stay on me and I look back up at her. Most of the time when someone catches you rudely staring at them, they look away, but not this girl. "Effie, what's going on with you and Haymitch? Are you two dating now or something? I wish that I could say that I was surprised."

"No, I would not say that we are dating. We went on a date today, our first date and it was wonderful. But Haymitch came over after it and said that he didn't want the night to end, neither did I...now I wish that we would have ended it before he came over." My hands are normally folded and neatly placed in my lap, not today though. I look down and watch as I pull on my fingers, as I play with them. "The worst part is that I don't know why he ran off like that! Everything was going perfectly fine and the next thing that I know he's running out my front door, promising me that he'll be right back. Five hours later and he still hasn't come back."

Johanna shakes her head a little bit and she laughs lightly. "Effie, that's one of the reasons why I don't want a man in my life. They are too complicated and why do I need someone to complicate things for me? You should really push him away. I know that you are a strong woman and you don't need him. Can't you see that you are better off without him? Why do you need him?"

"I want to be with him and a part of me does need him. Johanna, one day you'll see that being with someone is better then being alone." She shakes her head a little and I smile sadly at her. The sad thing is that she kind of reminds me of me when I first stared my career as the mentor for the District Twelve tributes. At the time I was content being alone, but now I want to be with someone and that someone is Haymitch. "Trust me, you'll see it and hopefully it won't be too late for you when you do. Now that I've realized what I want I'm just going for it."

"There's one thing that you have to remember." She says this to me in a small voice and I stare at her for a few minutes, waiting for her to continue. "After you've been in the Hunger Games and you've lost everything...you don't want anyone to get that close to you again. To not have anyone that you care about, it's a nightmare when you do and seeing them die is something that you never forget."

"I'm still figuring out what I want and so is he." I stare at her for a minute, not understanding where she's going with this. "Look at Haymitch, he's close to the kids and he's giving us a chance."

"Don't you see how much he's struggling?" She asks me and my eyes go wide as I realize what she's telling me. "You can't change what happened to him and how he is."

I nod my head a little and I look down at the floor. Johanna can't be right and I'll prove her wrong. Haymitch can change and he can let people in. He's already let the kids in and he's starting to let me in. Why can't she see that?

Haymitch POV: 

Both of the kids are staring at me in shock and I want to yell at them for just sitting there. The expression on Katniss' face makes me want to throw something at her, but she just smiles on. Oh, why did I ever give up drinking? Right! The alcohol's gone because of that woman! I could really use my bottle right now. Now is as good of a time as ever to start up again, but I know that if I do the kids will get upset and I don't really want to have to deal with that. Chances are that I'd loose Effie if I started drinking again and I don't want to piss her off again. Maybe one little sip? No can do, too much to risk. See? This is why I never got close to anyone after I was in the Hunger Games and this is why I should never have changed that. My gaze moves onto Peeta, who is staring at me and I can tell that he's thinking.

"Why don't you go talk to her?" Peeta asks me and I roll my eyes. He smiles a little at me and puts his arm around Katniss. "If you don't you might loose her."

_Gee! Thanks, kid! What great advice, why didn't I think of it? _"You don't think that I've thought of that? Jeez, you give me no credit at all! This woman is driving me insane and I don't know what to do! Maybe I should just give in and take up drinking again. A bottle never confused me like this."

"If you pick up that bottle I'll shoot an arrow at you." Katniss says this to me with a small smile. This girl would do it too, I know that she would. She squeezes Peeta's hand, but her eyes stay on me. "You do realize that you are wasting time? She's not going to wait all night for you."

"But I don't know what I'm doing!" I say and the baby starts to cry. Katniss stands up and to my relief, she walks up the stairs. My attention turns back onto Peeta and he smiles at me. "Can't you help me? This woman is literally driving me insane and I thought that the Hunger Games messed with my mind!"

Peeta stands up and walks over to me. "Haymitch, you just have to be honest with her and talk to her about all of this. If you don't...you might loose her. What do you want?"

"What do I want? I want a bottle!" Right at that moment Katniss enters the room and she throws a bottle at me. She smiles as I easily catch it and I see that its a baby bottle. My eyes snap back up to her and I see the amused smile on her lips as I put it down. "Really funny. Haha! Can't you take anything seriously?"

"Can't you decide what you want from Effie?" She challenges me and I just stare at her as she walks farther into the room. "You've been over here for five hours!"

I look at the nearest clock and realize that she's right. Shit... "I should go back to her. Effie, do you think she will understand?"

"Before or after she kills you?" Katniss asks me and I glare at her as I walk towards the door. "If you tell her that you want to be with her maybe."

"We'll have to talk about that one." I mumble and Katniss stops me before I can walk out the front door. My gray eyes lock with hers and I see that she is really worried for me. Trying to not show any emotion I roll my eyes and start mumbling. "What do you want now?"

Katniss smiles a small smile. "Good luck...she'll understand, I know that she will. She wants to be with you and she's not going to let something this small get in the way of that. Go get her, Haymitch."

Shocked, I walk out the front door and I walk towards Effie's house. Why is Katniss going all emotional on me now? It must be the pregnancy, that has to be it. My feet stop when I'm standing in front of her house, but I see that someone's in the sitting room with her. No, that can't be...is that Johanna Mason? Last that I heard she was working in the Capital on something top secret. Effie's eyes flash into mine and I know that I'm in trouble. Luckily, I have all night to explain to her...if she'll let me.

I watch as Effie stands up and walks over to the door. She pulls the door out of the way and before she can say anything, I kiss her. But she breaks the kiss quickly and she almost slaps me again. "Kissing me does nothing! Don't you understand that? Where were you? Why did you leave?"

Staring at her I say the only thing that I can think of. "Figuring out what I want. What about you?"

**Woohoo! Haha! I love writing Effie and Haymitch! They are completely different from any other characters that I've written and they are fun to write! What did you think? Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D More Effie and Haymitch to come soon! :D **


	14. Chapter 14: Don't You Dare

**Hey everyone! WOOHOO! Is it possible to have too much fun writing? Nah... :D Thank you for reading, for all of the reviews and everything else. Every time that I start to type a new chapter for this story I get a huge smile on my lips, because none of the other characters are like these two and I get to let loose with them. :D  
Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(Check out LiveYourLifeLoud, the story District Zero. There's only one chapter, but I think that its AMAZING! :D So check it out and head over to It-Was-Enchanting's page to read her stories. All of her's are AWESOME and she has a lot of great twist and turns that will keep you enchanted. Haha, I know that part was like wow, Kels, wow. Haha! Enjoy!)**

Effie POV:

My jaw drops and I stare at him. What does he mean by he was figuring things out? He doesn't know what he wants? Of course why should I be surprised? This is Haymitch after all! By now I thought that he knew what he wanted and that we were on the same page. I stare at him and nod my head a little. He's probably still not sure what he wants from me and I'm starting to realize that. Why can't he just see that we should be together? Is it honestly that hard? Haymitch stares at me and I look down at the floor. Slowly I back out of the way and let Haymitch in, a second later I remember that Johanna's in my sitting room. But when we walk into the sitting room, no ones there and I look around totally confused. Carefully I sit down on the couch and Haymitch sits down next to me-way too close to me. Looking into his eyes I move down a little, but Haymitch moves closer to me. We continue this until I can't go any further and he smiles at me.

"Oh, have you decided what you want now? You should really take some more time, so that you don't make the wrong decision." My voice is cold and I glare at him. How could he do this to me? I look like a complete fool! No one makes Effie Trinket look like a fool! "There's no need to make a rash decision and hurt me. Maybe by the time that I'm eighty you'll make a decision and stick with it."

"What's wrong with you? Jeez, woman!" Haymitch stares at me and I shake my head a little. Maybe this whole thing was a mistake and we should just forget about it. I look down at the floor as my heart starts to ache at the thought of not being with Haymitch. "Can't you let me tell you what I want to tell you, before jumping on me like that? You don't know what I want to tell you!"

"Oh, I don't?" A wide smile forms on my lips as he shakes his head. I know what he's going to do and I can't allow him to do it to me. He'll get my hopes up and right when I'm happy, he'll decide that he doesn't want this or that he's undecided. "Could it possibly be that you want to try and have a relationship with me, but you don't know how far it will go or if we will last?" 

Haymitch's jaw drops and he stares at me in shock. "You really think that I'd do that to you? Effie, I care about you and I thought that you knew that. What I wanted to tell you is that I do want to be with you and that I'm not going to run or change my mind. I've made the decision and I want to commit myself to you."

"What? You do?" I stare at him in shock as he nods his head and I look down at the floor for a minute. Can I trust him? This is what I've been waiting for, what I've wanted for years. "Are you sure that this is what you want? Because once you make this promise to me you can't take it back." 

"Effie, I want to be with you and I promise you that I'm here." He says this to me and I nod my head a little. A small smile forms on my lips and he kisses me. "Tomorrow we'll talk about everything and get it all straightened out...all right?"

I nod my head and bite my lip. Why can't he stay here with me? At this very second, all that I want is for him to stay here with me. "Do you want to stay here for a little while?"

"Nah, I think I'll go home and don't go see the kids too early this morning. I think that they'll be sleeping in today." Haymitch looks amused and I give him a questioning look. "That's where I was all that time. Surprisingly, they didn't kick me out."

Haymitch walks over to the door and I follow him. I smile at him and he kisses me one last time, before opening the door. As he steps out into the night air I can't help but smile. My gaze stays on him as he walks away, but he turns back to me before he gets too far away. Standing here I feel embarrassed for watching him and I drop my gaze to my white floor. He chuckles and I look back up at him.

"Effie? I need to tell you something." He says to me in a cheery voice and I smile a little, nodding my head for him to go on. "Right now I'm thinking about going home and finding one of my bottles. Now, I'm being honest with you. So you can't get mad at me, right?"

"Don't you dare..." I shake my head a little and roll my eyes. "I mean...nice try. Haymitch, you made a promise not only to me and the kids, but to yourself. Could you really live with yourself if you went back on your word?"

He looks down for a minute, thinking about it and he looks back up at me, with a wide smile on his lips. "Hell, I can't live with myself this way! So what does that matter? At least that way I'd have my damn bottle!"

Haymitch POV:

Okay, I know that the last part wasn't needed, but I had to say it to her. The look on her face as I wave at her and turn away will be in my memory forever. She looked so pissed off at me and I can't lie, I loved it! What's the fun with being in lo-I mean dating someone and not messing with them every now and then? I walk into my house and go right into the kitchen, with a wide smile on my lips as I open the cupboard under the sink. Greasy Sae got paid good for smuggling this into my house and I intend for that to keep going for me. Slowly I open the bottle and smile as I smell the so familiar smell. I smile at the bottle as I bring it up towards my lips, but my front door slams shut and I walk out of the kitchen. Muttering about not being able to enjoy this moment, I almost walk into Effie. Her eyes go wide as she sees the open bottle in my hands and in an instant she looks pissed.

"What do you think you are doing?" She yells at me and I can't help but smile as I lift the bottle to my lips, but before the alcohol can enter my mouth, she grabs the bottle. I watch in horror as she throws it against the wall, but I laugh because I still have three more bottles under the kitchen sink. "May I ask what is so funny?"

"Do you honestly think that you can keep those bottles away from me? I can always get more if I want to and any time I want to." My eyes stay locked with her's and I see the anger in them, the fire. For some reason I start laughing and walk back into the kitchen. Effie's right on my heels and she looks like she's going to yell at me. Slowly I open the cupboard and take out another bottle. "See? Here is another friend of mine, actually my best friend. Bottle, Effie, Effie, Bottle. I think that the two of you could be good friends."

Effie walks right up to me and stares me right in the eyes. "If you take one sip of that we are over. Don't you test me, you know that I will. So...what do you choose? Haymitch?"

I look down at the bottle in my hands and I feel the thirst coming up in me. Having it be this close to me makes me want to have it even more. Slowly I nod my head and put down the bottle. Effie stares at me, the shock is clear in her eyes and she smiles a few seconds later. My hands are itching to get their fingers around that bottle and never let go, but with Effie here I wouldn't dare try it. She walks over to the sink and opens the two doors, I watch as she takes out the remaining two bottles. What is she...wait, she better not. I keep my eyes on her as she picks up the other bottle, walks over to the table, sets them down, opens the window and-

"Don't you dare! Effie!" I yell at her and she looks over at me. There's an amused glint in her eyes as she picks up one of the bottles and holds it out of the open window. When I take a step toward her she drops it and I hear it shatter. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? YOU'RE WASTING PERFECTLY GOOD ALCOHOL!"

She stares at me with an amused smile as she picks up the second one. "We are playing by my rules now, got it Haymitch? No more alcohol is allowed in this house..."

"Sure, sweetheart! Like that'll ever happen." I stare at her as she nods her head a little and she drops the second one. My eyes drop to the last bottle that I have and I watch as she picks it up. No, there's a shortage on my precious bottles right now and I won't be able to get anymore for a while. "Effie, please don't. Here, put the bottle down on the table and everything will be okay." 

When I take a step back to my surprise she lets the last bottle drop and shatter. My eyes close as I hear the sound of the glass shattering and I wish that it was a nightmare. Effie has a satisfied smile on her lips and she closes the window. It's still dark outside, but I know that this is already a horrible start to the day. She walks over to me and keeps smiling away. I have to do something or else I'm going to yell at her, so I do the only thing that I can think of. Seconds later she's in my arms and our lips are pressed together.

"Wh...why did you do that?" She asks me when we break apart. Her eyes are wide in shock and I see a gentleness in them that I haven't seen before. "Haymitch?"

I shrug and back away from her, with a wide smile on my lips. The power is about to be turned back over to me. "Had to do something or else I might have thrown you out that window, like you did my bottles." 

She stares after me as I walk out of the kitchen, turning off the light after me. I only turn back to look at her when I make it to the stairs and she's standing by the door leading to the kitchen. Effie just stares at me and I chuckle, oh this will be fun!

I wink at her and chuckle again. "Lock up when you leave sweetheart, unless you want to stay for the night..."

**Haha! I had a little too much fun with this chapter! :D What did you think? Did you like it? Haymitch was a little different in Effie's POV, but I wanted him to show his soft side-which as you can see faded after a while. Thank you for reading and please leave a review! **


	15. Chapter 15: Flip Of The Roles

**Hey everyone! This chapter took me a while and I don't know how I came up with an idea in this, but I did. I hope that all of you like it! :D Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else! Thank you to my awesome Beta It-Was-Enchanting (who's stories are AWESOME and I love all of them, actually...its a secret but I'm addicted to her stories...sigh) Haha, well...here's the new chapter!**

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(Check out It-Was-Enchanting's stories, they will have you hooked from the first word! :D )**

Effie POV:

I stare at him as he winks at me and starts to walk up the stairs. How can I like someone so disgusting? Shaking my head I walk over to the front door and open it, with one last look up the stairs. The door closes behind me and I walk over to my house, not wanting to think about what Haymitch or anything else. Looks like I'm going to have a long and exhausting day ahead of me. Slowly I walk into my house and walk up the stairs, its going on two thirty in the morning. I'll have to remember to thank Haymitch in the morning for my lack of sleep. My head hits the pillow and I think about how many hours it will be until I have to get up. Five thirty is the time that I've woken up for since I was a teenager and Haymitch is not going to ruin that for me. Silently I shut my eyes and start counting the different wigs that I've worn. One, two, three, four, five...

"This is ridiculous!" I sit up for a minute and run my fingers through my hair. Slowly I lay back down into my fluffy pink pillows and try to relax. My eyes flicker over to the clock and I see that it's now two forty. "Relax, Effie...just relax. You have to get up at five thirty."

My eyes stay closed and I flip myself over, hoping that I can find a comfortable position to fall asleep in. I open my eyes and look at the clock again, sighing I frustration I get out of bed. There's only an hour and a half to go until I have to get up. Okay, fine I give up. Sighing I get up out of bed, put on my bright pink slippers and walk over to my bedroom door. I walk downstairs and make some tea, with a small smile on my lips I sip at it, until the cup is empty. Shaking my head I try to decide what to do now. Since I have a little more time on my hands than usual and a thought hits me. With a wide smile on my lips I run upstairs and quickly get dressed. A bright white skirt and a bright pink flowery blouse. Haymitch is about to get a wake up call. Let's see how much he'll sweetheart me this morning.

Humming to myself I walk back down the stairs and out my front door. I open the front door to his house and walk right in. Silently I turn on the light in the sitting room and walk into his kitchen. Maybe I should get him something to drink? Grabbing a bucket by the sink I put it in the sink and fill it up, the only problem is that I can't pick up the bucket. After a few failed attempts I just shake my head and fill two glasses of water. Carefully I walk up the stairs and look around for a second. Which room is his? Shrugging I pick a random door and open it, nope guest room...bathroom...closet...room full of empty bottles? Really? Why would someone waste a room and put trash in it? Finally I walk into his room and a wide smile forms on my lips as I see him sleeping.

"Haymitch, its time to get up." I say this in a light voice, but he just sleeps on. What makes it even worse is that I see a knife in hand. That's odd, who sleeps with a knife? "HAYMITCH! WAKE UP!"

Of course he totally ignores me and rolls over onto his other side. I shake my head, wishing that there was some way that I could wake him up. Shaking my head I walk over to the other side of him and take a deep breath as I think about what I should do. Maybe if I shake him a little? My fingers barley touch his arm and he whips the knife out at me. When I jump back I clutch onto his dresser and stare at him in shock, dropping both glasses.

Haymitch wakes up at the sound of the shattering glass and he jumps out of bed. I stare at him in shock as he whips the knife around and when he sees me he looks confused. My eyes drop and I take him in, he's only wearing his underwear and I feel my cheeks reddening. "What are you doing in here?"

My response is me running out of his room and down the stairs. I can hear him following me as I pull the front door out of my way and I run across his yard to mine, as quickly as I can in my high heels. When I shut my door behind me I walk into the sitting room and look out into my front yard and of course here comes Haymitch. Of course I'm not shocked that he's still only in his underwear. Why didn't he put some clothes on? 

"Effie! Effie!" He yells as he pounds on my front door and I quickly run into my kitchen, but I can still hear him screaming my name. "Effie, open the front door! Come on!"

Slowly I sit down at the table and try to erase the image of Haymitch in nothing but his underwear from my mind. I put my head in my hands and shake it slowly. That is the last thing that I needed to see this morning, mostly with no sleep. Now I know that I'm not going to get any sleep tonight.

I feel like hitting myself in the head, but I just stare at the table instead. "Why did that have to happen? Aren't relationships supposed to be perfect?" 

Slowly I stand up and walk over to the sink, where I see a bottle of wine that Haymitch gave to me a few months ago on my birthday. Maybe one small glass? What could that hurt?

Haymitch POV:

My fist is turning red from pounding on the door and I feel the anger rising up inside of me. Why did she run out like that? I just asked her a simple question and she couldn't even answer it! This is another example of why women are so damn confusing! After what seems like hours I stop pounding on the door and kick it once. Looking down I remember that I'm still just in my underwear, shit...if I was drunk right now I wouldn't care. Sighing I knock on the door again and the door opens. I'm about to start yelling again, when a tipsy Effie tumbles toward me. She's laughing and looks like she's having a great time.

"Effie?" I ask her and she starts laughing. Looking up at her head I realize that she's wearing her old gold wig, the one that she wore when Katniss' Mockingjay pin became the newest trend. "What in the hell have you done? You didn't drink did you?"

She starts laughing and shakes her head, it might have worked for her if she didn't stumble forward a few seconds later. "I'm fine! Don't worry."

"Where did you get the alcohol from?" I ask her and I feel the thirst for the alcohol hits me like a brick wall. She shakes her head and stumbles back inside of her house, reluctantly I follow her into her house. Mumbling under my breath I follow her into her kitchen and watch as she picks up a bottle. Effie downs the rest of the bottle and puts it back down on the counter. "Your drunk."

I watch as she stumbles around a little and she shakes her head a little, but she starts laughing. She almost falls over, but grips onto the edge of the counter. Quickly I step forward, but she just laughs and tells me to stay where I am. Now I see why Effie never gets drunk. She's a mess!

Effie laughs and shakes her head. She stumbles toward me and her wig starts to fall off, she fixes it. "No I'm not! Where would you get a crazy idea like that, sweetheart?"

I start laughing about her using the word "sweetheart". Who ever thought that Effie Trinket could get drunk and call me sweetheart? Carefully I grab her and pick her up, but she thrashes around in my arms. Slowly I walk back into her sitting room and carry her up the stairs to her room. To my surprise when I put her down on her bed, she starts to kiss me and I fall on top of her.

I push away from her and shake my head. "Effie, stay right here. I'm going to go put some clothes on. Okay? Will you do that for me?"

"No!" She shakes her head and pulls me back down onto the bed beside her. I sigh and look down at her, she clings onto my hand and looks into my eyes. "Don't leave me."

"Fine, I won't leave you." I shake my head and look around her room for something to put on. "Do you have any clothes that I could put on?"

Effie smiles and tries to get up, but I stop her. "I needs to show yous where the clothes is that yous can wear."

"I can find it for myself, just lay back down sweetheart." Shaking my head I get up and walk into her closet. My eyes widen as I stare at the selection of clothes that she has for herself and I start on my hunt. Finally I find an old pair of pajamas that must have belonged to her brother or something. "Okay, these are...ugly."

When I'm finally dressed I walk out of the closet and Effie claps her hands. I walk over to her bed and sit down beside her. Effie forces me to lay down and puts her head on my chest. This is weird, I don't know what to do. Minutes later she falls asleep and she wakes up half an hour later to throw up all over the place. Easily I carry her into the bathroom, where we spend the rest of the day. She falls asleep on the cold floor and I pick her up. Carefully I put her back into her bed and put her comforter over her.

"Haymitch..." She whispers and I stare at her in shock. Did she really just say my name? "Haymitch..."

Shaking my head I sit down in her bed and she snuggles up to me. Now I know that I'll be here until tomorrow morning. I chuckle and lay back, might as well get comfortable. "I'm here sweetheart...I'm here..."

**Haha! Okay I know that Effie probably wouldn't get drunk, but I wanted to add a little twist and I think that it would be good to have a way to show Haymitch's soft side for Effie. What did you think? I hope that all of you liked it, this took me a while to write. For some reason I was stuck on this and I finally came up with this, which I'm happy with. :D Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D **

**(Remember to check out It-Was-Enchanting, she has three AMAZING stories and she's an awesome Beta!) **


	16. Chapter 16: My Promise To You

**Hey everyone! Who's ready for more Effie and Haymitch? :D This chapter is a little bit more serious and I hope that everyone likes it. I have never been drunk before in my life, so I hope that I did a good job with this and this chapter means a lot to me. Let me know what you think? Thank you for reading, for all of the reviews and everything else. **

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(Check out It-Was-Enchanting's stories, they are addicting and I look forward to her updates. *Personally I hope that Kelsey lives in her story...haha! "hint" "hint", just joking! I love her stories no matter what she does, she puts them in a way that you are attached to every character and you are on the edge of your seat the whole time. Thank you for making a character with my name, for being my Beta and for being my friend. :D Check out her stories or else you'll regret it! You are really missing out if you haven't already.) **

Effie POV:

I wake up and my head's pounding. A small moan escapes from my lips and I hear someone snoring. The snoring makes my head throb even worse and I look to the right of me. My head starts to spin and I'm screaming. He jumps up and looks around, there's a wild look in his eyes as his eyes land on me. So many questions are running through my mind right now, the questions are making the throbbing in my head get even worse. Haymitch's eyes stay on me and he chuckles lightly. We stare at each other for a few minutes, but he turns his gaze to my light pink sheets. What is he doing in my house? What is he doing in my room-in my BED? Before I can ask him anything, he stands up and walks toward the door. Staring at him I notice that he's wearing a pair of pajamas that used to belong to my brother. He turns back around and winks at me.

"Now I see why you never get drunk." He laughs lightly and shakes his head. My eyes stay on him, as I try to remember what happened last night. I couldn't have gotten drunk! There is no way that it would be possible! No alcohol in the house and there's a shortage! "You think that I was a mess? Ha! Effie, I'll never suggest that you drink again, you threw up so much!"

I stare at him for a minute as I vaguely remember him holding my hair out of my face, my view was the inside of the toilet. My head is throbbing even worse and I feel angry with myself for drinking. "Why did you stay last night? That's not like you." 

"Oh...um..." For a second he seems lost for words and he just shrugs. I lay back down and try to make my head stop throbbing, I've never gotten drunk before in my life. "You asked me to and I couldn't leave you. Of course you paid me extremely well."

"W-what? You don't mean that I...that w-we..." He nods his head with a pleased smile on his lips. I sink even farther back into my pillow and try to stop the embarrassment that's coursing through my body. Right now I can't tell which one's worse, the throbbing in my head or the embarrassment. "Oh no, Haymitch...please tell me that we didn't. This cannot be happening. One small mistake...please, just one small mistake."

He laughs and I glare at him. "What? You told me that I could keep these fashionable pajamas and that you wanted to go out with me tonight. That wasn't a mistake, was it? Effie, what did you think we did? Oh! You didn't think that we did, _that_, did you?"

He _knows_ that I thought that was what he meant and I _know_ that he was just trying to mess with me. I shut my eyes for a few minutes and let my heartbeat slow. When my eyes open again, Haymitch is standing right next to me. There's a wide smile on his lips and he looks amused. Slowly he bends down and kisses me once on the lips. Slowly my eyes close again, but when he pulls away, I reach out and grab his arm. I don't want him to go and I'm not afraid to tell him that now. Our eyes lock and he nods his head a little. A little sigh escapes from my lips and the throbbing takes center stage. I groan and he chuckles lightly.

"Can't hold your alcohol, sweetheart?" He whispers this to me and pats my hand. My eyes flicker open again as I watch him walking towards the door. "Don't worry I'll be right back...I'm going to get you something that will help you."

I watch him as he walks out of my room. My head feels like its going to explode and I curl in on myself. Why do hangovers have to hurt so much? Do I get credit for never having a hangover before this? That has to count for something, right? But my stomach is curling in disgust, because I always swore that I'd never drink like that. One of my deepest secrets-if not my deepest is threatening to come up, to show itself. This is part of the reason why I never allowed myself to feel something for Haymitch before this. A single tear escapes from my eyes and then I break down. The tears won't stop coming and its making the throbbing worse.

"Stop...no..." I whimper as I stare down at my sheets. The throbbing in my head is getting worse by the second and what I've done is starting to sink in. All of the memories hit me like a brick wall. "How could...I...have...done...that?"

My eyes stay on the sheets and I try to stop myself from crying. When the shaking begins I know that I'm not going to stop anytime soon. I could do anything, but that and not feel this way. The memories are too much and I want them to disappear-I want to disappear.

"Effie?" His voice brings me back to reality and I see him standing in the doorway. A glass in his hand. "Are you okay?"

Haymitch POV:

I stare at her, the tears are rolling down her cheeks and I know that I'm fucked over right now. She looks like a complete mess and I don't know what I'm doing. Looking down at the glass in my hand I walk over to her and hand it to her. Without a word, she takes it and chugs it down. The tears are still pouring out over her eyes as she puts the glass down on her nightstand. Carefully I sit down on her bed and she stares straight ahead. My hand edges toward hers and I take it in mine, she looks up at me in shock. I'm shocked when she doesn't let go of my hand, but she looks almost...relieved? Letting out a deep breath I look up at her and see that her eyes are still on me.

"What was in that? You know...the glass?" She breaks the silence after a few minutes. I look up into her eyes and see that there's a sadness in them that I've never seen before. What is she talking about? "Haymitch? What was in the glass, that I just drank? I tasted bananas and a little bit of honey."

"A banana smoothie and a little bit of honey was in that glass." I tell her and she nods her head a little. For some reason I want to be here for her right now and forever. Normally Effie would get on my nerves with her happy attitude, but I'd rather have that then this. "What's wrong?"

She shakes her head a little and leans back against her pillow. I see the tears building up in her eyes and she stares at me for a few minutes. "Really, its nothing. Drinking is just something that I've never done before and something that I should have never done...something that I swore that I'd never do."

"It's not that bad. Everyone does that from time to time, some more then others." I tell her, but she just stares at me. The expression on her face tells me that its something bigger then just drinking. "Effie, what's wrong? You can tell me, if you want to that is."

"You know, I've never talked about this to anyone and a part of me feels like its time that I do. Do you really want to know? I don't want you to think badly of me or anything." She really thinks that I could ever think badly of her? Really? After everything that I've done? "The reason why I wanted you to stop drinking is the reason why I wanted my mother and brother to. My mother started drinking when I was a young child, but she got worse as I got older. When she died I felt a little bit of hope, but then my brother, Easton started drinking. My father continued to take care of us, we were high class and had to keep up the perfect image and that's what we did. That's part of the reason why I became an escort for the Hunger Games, you get paid good and get taken out of the Capitol from time to time."

I stare at her in shock. "That's really the reason why you hate drinking so badly? Why you wanted me to stop drinking? All of this because of your mom and brother?"

"Yes, I just couldn't subject myself to that kind of pain again. But I learned a few things from them, well how to act and keep everything in." She tells me and I watch her push the tears back, like she always must have. "I know that my act always worked and I could even keep my head on with Katniss, so I know that I was good. Sorry...I know that I forced you to stop drinking, but I really want to be with you and if you drink...I don't think that I can. But it is your decision...what do you want, Haymitch?"

"I think that you know what I want." Our eyes stay locked and I kiss her once. When I back away from her, she slowly opens her eyes and I see that they are clear. "No drinking at all?"

Effie shakes her head a little. "I don't know if I can deal with it. Maybe...every once in a while, but not like you used to? Does that sound good? A compromise?"

"That won't work." I tell her and she stares at me in shock. My fingers stay intertwined with hers and I smile at her. "Looks like I'll have to give up drinking, for good."

"Really?" She asks me and I see the tears come back up in her eyes. I nod my head slowly and she looks down at our hands for a minute. "Is this really happening?"

I smile at her and nod my head a little. "Yeah, it is. Well, what do you say, sweetheart?"

We stare at each other for a minute and she leans into kiss me once, but I take advantage of this. I push her back against the bed and keep my lips glued to hers. She lets out a light moan and my fingers tangle in her hair. Did I really just promise to give up alcohol forever? Shit, this must really be love.

**WOOHOO! Done, what did you think? I hope that all of you liked it! :D I know that Effie wouldn't really get drunk, but I needed a little twist and some way for Haymitch to show his soft side. Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D**

**(Thank you to my AWESOME Beta and friend, Beth! Check out her stories, It-Was-Enchanting. Seriously, her stories are amazing and I've been addicted since she posted her first chapter. To me, she is one of the best writers (if not the best :D ) on this site and she is an awesome person. I'm proud to call you my friend and my Beta. Haha, thank you for putting up with me this long! :D ) **


	17. Chapter 17: Cooking Lessons For Effie

**Hey everyone! Here's the new chapter and I hope that everyone likes it. Last chapter was sad/serious, but back onto a lighter note...almost time for an Effie and Haymitch date! WOOHOO! Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. A HUGE thank you to my Beta Beth (It-Was-Enchanting)! :D **

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

Effie POV:

Ugh! I have to take a shower and get this smell off of me and quick. Quickly I jump into the shower and start scrubbing at my skin. My skin is turning red, when I finally stop and I wash my hair. This feels nice, to have the hot water pouring down the length of my body. A small sigh escapes from my lips and I finish washing. When I get out of the shower I dry off, put my robe on and blow dry my hair. Staring at myself in the mirror, I put on a little bit of make-up and smile. Much better. Clapping my hands together I rush out of the bathroom and back into my bedroom to pick out my outfit for the day. A light pink dress, that's a little shorter than I usually wear on a date with Haymitch. Walking farther into my closet I look for a pair of shoes and my eyes land on a pair of five inch dark pink heels! They are perfect! When they are in my hands, I smile widely and put them on.

"Effie? Are you in here?" Hazelle's voice makes me jump and almost fall over. She walks farther into the room and smiles at me when she sees me in my closet. I smile at her and walk over to her. "You look nice, Effie. How can you walk in those shoes?"

"Lots of practice. I can walk in just about anything." To prove my point, I turn around and start walking around the room. She smiles at me as I walk back towards her. Looking down at my outfit I smile a little and stare at myself in the mirror. "You can have the day off, Hazelle. I'll still pay you, think of it as a...holiday with pay?"

She smiles at me and looks shocked. "Are you sure? I can work for a little while and leave when you want me to. Maybe I could get you some tea-"

"No, no. It's fine! Go spend time with your kids and have some fun." I tell her and she smiles widely at me. Hazelle walks into my closet and hands me a light pink purse, with dark pink on it. "Oh, that will look perfect! Don't you think? The pinks match perfectly!" 

"That's exactly what I thought. Do you know where he's taking you tonight?" I shake my head and she smiles at me. Hazelle walks toward my bedroom door, but she stops and turns to look at me again. She smiles at me and looks at my outfit one last time. "You really do look nice Effie. Have a good time with Haymitch tonight."

"Thank you, Hazelle." I turn back around to look at myself in the mirror and I look at the clock. Nine thirty and our dates not until five thirty, what am I supposed to do now? Maybe I should go see Katniss? I smile as I walk out of my bedroom and down the stairs. Once outside I walk down the sidewalk and over towards Haymitch's house, walking past it and right to Katniss and Peeta's. Knocking on the door I smile widely, but no one answers. Behind me I hear someone laugh and when I turn around I see Johanna standing a few feet away from me. "Do you know where Katniss is?"

"Yeah, she's at the bakery. Peeta's closing early tonight and he's going to take her out for a date. Acacia's with Prim and Rory." Johanna's wide brown eyes are sparkling and I smile at her. "You can head over there if you want to, they should still be there. Bread boy isn't done baking yet."

I smile at her and nod my head. "Thank you Johanna. I'll head over there right now. How are you settling into District Twelve?" 

"Fine, its okay." She shrugs a little and I see her look down at the ground. "Everyone's being pretty good to me and all that, but its different from Seven."

"From the Capitol too." We smile at each other and we walk together towards the entrance to Victor's Village. "Where are you going?"

Johanna looks at me once and smiles. "The bakery. I have to pick up some bread and Peeta promised me a few free loaves. Can't pass that up."

We walk out of Victor's Village and walk to the bakery, in silence. My smile fades a little when I see that the bakery's already closed. Neither of them are there and I shake my head a little. I walked all of this way to see Katniss and she's not even here? Did she go back to her house? Looking down at my outfit I wonder if I should change before my date tonight.

"Looks like I'll just head back home and try to get a hold of them later." I walk away from Johanna, wondering where those two could be, then it hits me. "Haymitch..."

Haymitch POV:

Peeta's showing me how to make bread, goat cheese, potato soup and something small for dessert. Katniss is sitting at the table watching us, with a wide smile on her lips. We start making the bread and I keep flipping it over, my fingers make small holes in it. I put it into one of the pans and let out a deep breath as Peeta fixes it. The goat cheese I don't have to make, thanks to Prim. When we get to the soup, at first I cut the potato's up too big, then too small. After my tenth try I finally get it right and its on the stove. The desert is easier, peach cobbler. I smile a little as I make it perfectly and Peeta asks me when our date is. Looking up at the clock I see that its going on five twenty.

"Shit! I have to go get ready! Can you sneak this into my house?" I'm already in the sitting room, when Peeta catches up to me. "She's expecting me to show up at her house in ten minutes! Will you bring that stuff over to my house and just put it in the kitchen? When I go to pick her up, I'll stall for a few minutes."

Peeta nods his head a little. "But, Haymitch...you'll have to stall for five to ten minutes. Okay? Do you think that you can for that long?"

"Yeah, of course I can. Thanks kid." I run out the front door and over to my house. Once inside of the house I run up the stairs and pick out an outfit. Quickly I take a shower, which is an extremely cold one and with chattering teeth I get out. My outfit is a light green dress shirt and dark dress pants. "Cutting it close, Haymitch..."

Putting on my shoes as I hop out of the room, I rush down the stairs and stop to look at myself in the mirror. I look as good as I can for having only a few minutes to get ready. Okay, I did good. Two minutes to spare, very good. Running into the kitchen I pick up the single red rose that I picked up on my way back from the bakery. Katniss kept that cocky smile on her lips the whole time and if I didn't need their help, I'd wipe that smile off of her lips. Shaking my head I walk out the front door and over toward Effie's house. I stop in front of the front door and take a deep breath, before I know. The door swings open not even a second after I knock and standing before me is an excited looking Effie. My eyes roam her body and I smile a little at her outfit. A light pink dress that is shorter than she usually wears with me, dark pink shoes and the light pink purse brings the dress together. Her hair is in small curls framing her face and her make up is light.

"You look nice." The words are out of my mouth before I can think them through. She smiles, looks down at herself and bites her lip. Those shoes are high! How could anyone walk in them without falling over? "Oh, this is for you..."

She smiles as I hand her the flower and she smells it. "Thank you, its beautiful. Where are we going tonight?"

"Oh, nowhere special. I made us dinner and we're eating at my place." She smiles and nods her head. With a small smile on my lips I walk into her house and she looks surprised. "Let's just sit down and talk for a few minutes. The food will be fine and its a little too hot."

"Shouldn't we go over there and talk?" Her voice is full of confusion and I walk into her sitting room. I hear the front door close and she appears. "Haymitch?"

I look over at her and smile a wide smile. "Yeah?"

"Did you make dinner or did Peeta?" Her eyes narrow and I laugh lightly. Leave it to Effie to ask me that question and I know it will come to a surprise at her when I tell her the truth. She walks farther into the room and sits down beside me. "Haymitch?"

"I did." She stares at me with a shocked look on her face. My eyes dart over to my house, where Peeta and Katniss are walking back towards their house. "Okay, come on. The food should be cooled off by now."

I get up and walk out of the room and she follows a few minutes later. The shocked look on her face stays there and I smile at her. Quickly I kiss her and I see the smile on her lips, the blush creep into her cheeks. Well, that's what I should have done at the beginning! Why didn't I think of that? Slowly I take her hand and open the front door. She walks outside and I follow her. Carefully we walk over to my house and I watch in amazement as she doesn't fall over.

"Did I mention how nice you look tonight?" I whisper in her ear and she starts giggling. Slowly I open the door and she walks inside of my house. For some reason I have the odd feeling of wanting her here when I wake up and me knowing that she'll be here. "Um...have a seat. I'll be right back."

Effie walks over to the table and I walk into the kitchen. I look at the containers of food and rub my hands together. Time to show her my first cooking experiment and she better like it. Never have I gone to so much trouble to impress a woman. Four hours of cooking lessons to get it right and I hope those four hours paid off.

**WOOHOO! Another Effie and Haymitch date, hm...this should be fun! :D What did all of you think? Effie's going to have a little fun. Thank you for reading and please leave a review! **

**(Check out It-Was-Enchanting's stories, I love all of them and after I read a new chapter for her I can't stop thinking about the story, about what's going to happen. She writes in a way that has you wanting more and wondering what's going to happen. Like if a certain character lives...hehe! :D Check out her stories!)**


	18. Chapter 18: Geese and Water

**Hey everyone! WOOHOO! Okay, this chapter I had a lot of fun with and some how it ended up this way. Haha! You'll see what I mean and I hope that everyone likes it. For some reason Haymitch's POV almost always takes some sort of turn that I never imagined. So I hope that all of you like the story so far and that all of you like the new chapter, which I LOVED writing! :D Thank you for reading, for all of the reviews and everything else. Thank you to my awesome Beta and friend Beth-you ROCK! All of you are awesome and thank you so much for all of the support on this story! Effie and Haymitch forever! :D**

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

Effie POV:

I look at the clock and see that Haymitch has been in the kitchen for over ten minutes. What's he doing in there? Slowly I get up shaking my head and walk into the kitchen. Haymitch is putting soup into two clear glass bowls, there are two plates with what looks like cheese sandwiches on them and he's cut the bread so that he can put the bowl in between the bread. Before he can see me I back out of the room and rush back to my seat. Did he really go to this much trouble, just for me? A small smile forms on my lips as I imagine Haymitch making something for dinner, just for me. Does he know how to cook? There's no way that I could cook anything and it makes my heart swell at the thought that Haymitch learned to cook for me. Looking down at the table I see that it has a white table cloth with little flowers stitched into it on it. In the center he has two candles flickering. The two flames dance and my smile widens. Maybe its a good thing that everything happened, it seems to have brought us closer. My eyes flicker to the kitchen door opening and out walks Haymitch, carrying a tray with the plates and two glasses of water on it.

"Here we are. Now, this is something special and I actually did cook it. After four hours with Peeta, this is the result." He smiles at me as he puts the plate down in front of me and I smile at him. This is better than anything he could have bought or gotten me in the Capitol. The glass of water is placed in front of the plate and I watch Haymitch do the same for himself. When he sits down he winks at me and I feel a blush creeping into my cheeks. "You look nice, Effie. Try the food and let me know what you think. If you don't like it I can hunt down Peeta-"

I shake my head and he stops in mid sentence. "This is perfect. I can't believe that you actually cooked something. Did you do this just for me?"

"No, I figured it was about time to start learning how to cook. I mean, one of us have to know how to cook and I didn't think that you'd want to learn." He smiles at me and I shake my head a little. Looking down at the bowl I pick up my spoon and try it. The potatoes taste wonderful and the broth goes perfectly with it. Potatoes are normally something that I don't eat that often, but I really like this. His eyes stay on me as I pick up half of the sandwich and try it. "What do you think? Do you like it?"

"This is wonderful! Really, I love it. Thank you." A wide grin spreads across his lips and he takes a bite of his sandwich. Slowly I keep eating, but after a minute or two Haymitch is done with his and he sits there watching me eat. "You know something that you said really hit me. Maybe we should learn to cook together. Peeta could teach us and I'm sure that it isn't that hard to learn."

He stares at me for a minute and burst out laughing. I stare at him as he keeps laughing and he starts shaking his head. "Effie, you are hilarious! You learning how to cook? Really? Sweetheart, I can barley make a simple bowl of soup or a sandwich and you think that we could learn how to cook together? Peeta might be good, but he can't work miracles. Good joke though, you had me going for a minute."

"I'm serious. Why couldn't we learn how to cook? Nothings impossible." He just chuckles and shakes his head. When he stands up and walks into the kitchen I feel a little annoyed. Does he honestly think that I can't learn how to cook? Peeta's going to teach me, I'll ask him tomorrow morning and I'll show Haymitch. When he walks back into the room, he's carrying two bowls and I see that he has peach cobbler in them. "You know, maybe your right. Let's just enjoy our date and have some fun."

"Sounds good to me. Do you want to see the geese after we get done eating?" I stare at him in shock. Really? My eyebrows go up and I think about what I'm wearing. Do I look like I'm wearing something to go see geese? Why does he have those things anyway? They seem disgusting and I doubt that they really do much for him. "Effie, you like my geese right? They love you."

Nodding my head I smile at him and hope that there's some way out of this. There's no way that I'm going out there to see his geese in this dress and my shoes. "How about we go for a little walk after we get done eating? Just walking around and looking around-"

He snorts and I feel all hope that I had felt leave me. I know that I'm going to have to go outside and see the geese. "What's there to look at? We are in District Twelve aren't we? Everyday we walk around here and nothing changes. Don't worry I'll protect you from my geese. All of you have to get used to each other. You'll be around more and they'll get used to you. I'm sure that you'll have no problems at all!"

"Yeah...sounds good." I try to smile, but I know that its not a good one. Haymitch doesn't seem to notice though, he stands up and takes the plates into the kitchen. Sitting here I want to scream or something. What will he gain from taking me outside to see his geese? "Geese..."

Haymitch POV:

Putting the dishes in the sink I try to remember what Katniss told me about dishes, oh right! Got to put water in the sink or else everything will stick to the plate. I turn on the water and fill it all the way to the top. When I turn it off I smile to myself, proud of myself for thinking of all of this. Tonight's going great and Effie seems pretty excited to see the geese. After some time I know that she'll warm up to them and I hope that I'm right. If it came down to her or the geese I don't know what I'd do. Those geese are like my family. They have to accept each other eventually, right? Sighing I walk back into the sitting room and smile at Effie. I take her hand and lead her into the kitchen. Once we enter the kitchen I can feel her going slower and I smile a small smile. She's probably a little afraid of the geese, but there's nothing to be afraid of and she'll see that after we get outside. Opening the back door I step out into my backyard and my geese start running around. With a small smile on my lips I pick up their feed and throw it around. Effie jumps as the all start running at the feed on the ground.

"Here, sweetheart. You can feed them too, if you want to." I look over at her and she gives one small shake of her head. Effie can't honestly still be afraid of the geese! They are friendly and they won't hurt her. Shaking my head I put some feed in her hand and she stares at me as though I've lost my mind. Okay, so I have lost my mind, but she's known that for a long time and she's still decided to be with me. "Come on sweetheart, it'll be okay. Just throw it around a little and they'll go eat it."

Effie chucks it all in one direction and the geese all flock after it. I chuckle and turn to see Effie running back into the house. With one last look at my geese I turn around to follow her, shaking my head and chuckling. After a while she'll get used to them, she has too. These geese and her are here to stay, so they'll have to come to some sort of an agreement. I enter the house and turn back to stay good bye to my geese. Their all still fighting over the feed and I chuckle again as the door shuts behind me. The real laughter starts when I see Effie at the sink rubbing her hands together frantically and she keeps putting more soap on.

"What's so funny?" She asks me and I just shrug. Effie turns off the water and dries her hands. The look on her face lets me know that she's not liking the geese yet, but I know that she will after some time. "Those things are barbaric! With the way that those things where chasing each other you'd think that they were starving!"

I can't help it, I start laughing again. She stares at me and a few seconds later I'm drenched in water. Effie's yelling things at me and I walk over to her. After I slip a few times I make it to her and take the sink hose away from her. The next thing that I know we are both on the floor, drenched from head to toe and still fighting over the hose. When our eyes lock, I forget about the hose and capture her lips with mine. Our arms wrap around each other and I think about how beautiful she looks wet. My fingers run though her wet hair and get tangled. We break apart and she sprays me with more water, like a little kid. Before I can respond she gets up, without her shoes on and runs into the sitting room.

When I stand up I run into the sitting room and chase her around the house. She leads me from room to room, around the furniture, up and down the hallway. I smile when she leads me into my room and I close the door behind me. The lock clicks as it locks and I smile evilly at her. Now if she wants out of the room she has to take the time to open the door and I'll be able to catch her. Just by looking into her eyes I see that she's accepting the challenge and I run towards the bed. My feet are on the bed and she's trying to run back towards the door, but I catch her and we both fall down onto the bed. Effie starts laughing and we are both breathing heavily.

"Sweetheart. I. Never. Loose." My voice is barley a whisper and she starts laughing again. I press my lips against her's and we lay here for a few minutes. She's starting to shake and I smile a small smile. "Do you want to get out of those wet clothes? I wouldn't object to that, sweetheart."

She shakes her head a little. "I won't give you that much of a satisfaction, Haymitch. That might encourage you a little too much and the date wasn't that GREAT."

But from the look in her eyes I can tell that she's just messing with me and I twirl my finger around in her hair. With a small smile I kiss her again and she stands up. I watch her walk to my closet and grab a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. She walks over to my bathroom, turns around and winks at me. I watch as she shuts the door behind her and she leaves me breathless. Damn, did Effie Trinket really just beat me at my own game? I never lose and I'm not about to start now.

Walking over to the door I knock and say loudly, "need some help in there, sweetheart?"

**Haha! Okay, this chapter took a turn for the worst and I think that I had a little too much fun. What do you think? Haymitch and his dirty thoughts. :D I don't know how this chapter turned out this way, but it did and I had A LOT of fun writing it. Thank you for reading and please leave a review? :D (Reviews make me happy and I love to get the e-mails saying that I got them... :D )**

**(Thank you to all of you for the support and an even bigger THANK YOU to my awesome Beta It-Was-Enchanting! Check out her stories, seriously they are awesome and you'll be on the edge of your seat the whole time. She leaves you begging for another chapter before you even finish reading the new one-yes shes that AWESOME! :D )**

_**Didn't this story ROCK? Yeah, thought so. So REVIEW it. And, they are WAY better than mine. From, Beth, the Beta..!**_


	19. Chapter 19: I Want Ice Cream

**Hey everyone! Woohoo! :D New chapter and its Haymitch & Effie time! Haha! Personally the last chapter has been one of my favorites, if not my favorite. This chapter is a little...slow, but the next chapter will be a little better. I hope that all of you like this chapter! Thank you for reading, for all of the reviews and everything else. Thank you to my awesome Beta Beth!  
(Updating sched. is gone. I'll update when I can. :D )**

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(Check out It-Was-Enchanting's stories, all of them are amazing and I love all of them. Her stories will have you addicted to them and you'll want more after every chapter.)**

Effie POV:

Shaking my head I put on the sweatpants and the t-shirt. I stare at myself in the mirror and I laugh lightly at how I look in his clothes. The pants would be falling off of me if there hadn't been strings to tie together. My make-ups completely ruined and I quickly wipe it off. Well that's just great! No make-up and I look terrible without make-up. How am I supposed to impress him now? Right now I look like a mess and I shake my head as I open the door. Haymitch is standing in front of me and he snickers when he sees me. When he looks me up and down, I feel a little shocked. Why did he just do that? I don't look good right now, I look horrible!

"Why did you do that?" The words are out of my mouth and he stares at me, confused. I look down for a minute and take a deep breath, before I meet his eyes again. He's staring at me like he always does, but I don't understand why. "Look at me, I'm a mess and you're still looking at me like I'm wearing my pink dress. I don't understand why..."

"You can't be serious! Sweetheart, look at yourself in the mirror and you'll see why." Haymitch rolls his eyes and I walk back into the bathroom to look at myself. I groan a little when I see my reflection again, my hairs all wet, no make-up and I'm wearing clothes that are way too big for me. "Don't you see a beautiful woman in the mirror? Hell, I like you a hell of a lot better like this."

I turn and stare at him, now its my turn to be confused. He's serious and I can see it on his face, but he just shakes his head a little. Haymitch chuckles and shakes his head, but his eyes stay focused on me. Can he really like me more like this? Slowly I shake my head and smile at him. Oddly maybe he does like me better like this, but I'm not put together and I have no make-up on. With a cocky smile on his lips he takes a step toward me and he presses his lips to mine. His arms wrap around me and mine wrap around his neck. When we break apart I'm having a hard time breathing, but I want to kiss him again and I do.

"I told you that you couldn't resist this." Haymitch whispers to me and I giggle. His fingers run through my wet, tangled hair and I shiver a little. Maybe we can work out and that's exactly what I want. "What do you want to do now? I think that we should have a repeat of earlier..."

With a smile on my lips I shake my head and stare at him. "I should get home and get ready for tomorrow. You know, the weekly teas and everyone looks forward to them. There's a few things that I have to do and I'm sure that you'll want to go talk to the kids."

"Why would you say that? I don't have to go talk to them and I'd rather stay here with you." He says and I just shake my head a little. There's a lot that I have to do before tomorrow and maybe Haymitch could start planning our next date? "Come on! Let go a bit and we can go some where else. Do you want ice cream? We can go to the ice cream shop and just walk around...talk a little."

"Ice cream? Okay, we can go get ice cream." With a small smile on my lips I walk out of his room, with him behind me. Looking down at myself I shake my head a little and he smiles. "There's no way that I'm going out in public like this. I'm going to change, come pick me up in...ten to fifteen minutes."

Before he can say anything, I press my lips to his and wink at him. I turn away and walk out of his house, leaving my dress in his bathroom. When I'm in my house I look through my closet and pick out a dark blue dress. Quickly I slip it on, put on a pair of shoes and go into the bathroom to blow-dry my hair. My lips form into a smile as I put my make-up on and I walk down the stairs. Smiling I walk into the kitchen to change the water in my vase and look around. Everything's perfectly clean and in order.

"Hi, Effie!" I almost jump when I turn to see Katniss leaning against my fridge. She's smiling at me and I wonder if I left the front door unlocked. Acacia's in her arms and I smile at her, trying to act like my heartbeat is normal. "How was the date with Haymitch?"

"Fine, actually he wants to take me out for ice cream. He should be here in a few minutes." I tell her and she nods her head a little. Why isn't the girl leaving? Can't she see that I want her to? Right now I'm not even trying to hide it. "Is there something that you want? Katniss?"

She smiles at me and nods her head. "Yes, I was wondering if you could watch Acacia tomorrow night? Peeta needs me to help him with the bakery."

"Yes, yes. Of course." I say not really paying attention and she smiles widely at me. "Tomorrow night? Just drop her off tomorrow, okay?"

"Thanks, Effie!" She smiles at me and walks out of the kitchen.

Haymitch POV:

Walking back down the stairs I hear someone in my kitchen and I walk into the kitchen to see Peeta washing the dishes. I lean up against the wall and he looks around, with a wide smile on his lips he lets the water go down the drain. Raising my eyebrows I stare at him and he walks over to me. This has got to be good. What could he possibly want? Acacia is no where in sight, so I'm safe from that. Peeta asks me how my date with Effie went and I tell him that our dates not over yet.

"Okay, I'll do this quickly then. Can you do me a favor?" I raise my eyebrows and he smiles at me, before he drops his gaze to the floor. "Tomorrow night Katniss is going to help me with something for the bakery and I was wondering if you could watch-"

"No, no, no. Stop right there." I shake my head and sit down at the table. Peeta tries to talk, but I shake my head and put my hand up for him to stop talking. He walks over to the table and sits down across from me. This kid cannot be serious! He wants to leave his little girl with me? "You don't want to leave your kid with me. Don't you realize who you're talking to? Me?"

"We trust you," says Peeta and I start laughing. This kid is good and I remember how he had all those people hanging onto his every word. I start laughing and shake my head a little. Katniss would not trust me with little Aca, there's no way in hell that she could ever. "Come on, you wouldn't be alone. Katniss is over there asking Effie to babysit right now-"

I cut him off with a look. They are asking both of us to babysit her? "Wait, you want both of us to watch your kid? You have got to be kidding me!"

"Effie wants kids and it could be a good way for you two to get some experience." Now he really has me laughing. Oh, there's no way that I'm having a kid with anyone! Not even Effie! That would be one screwed up kid. "What? She does and she talks to Katniss about it all the time."

"I'll watch your kid, but I'm not having a kid with Effie. Got that?" I start laughing and stand up to go get Effie. He follows me and shakes his head a little. "She's going to have to look some where else to find someone to have a kid with. Because there's no way that I'm having one."

Peeta shakes his head and smiles. "You'll have to talk to her about that, but I doubt that she'll actually give into that. I think that you'll be giving into her."

Shaking my head I walk out the front door and over to Effie's house. When I reach her front door she opens the front door and I see that she has baby Acacia in her arms. Katniss is behind her and Effie smiles at me, before handing Acacia back to Katniss. They both smile at me and Katniss walks out of the house to Peeta. I stare at her for a minute and she shuts her door behind her. She starts walking off toward the road and I follow, in a sort of daze not really sure what's going on. Seeing Effie with that baby...

"What kind of ice cream do you want?" She smiles at me and I try to return the smile. I look at her, but all that I can see is her carrying a baby. The outfit that she's wearing right now is beautiful, but the idea of having a baby is scaring the shit out of me. "I think that I'm going to get chocolate."

"That sounds good." We keep walking and I feel the whole baby conversation spinning through my mind, like a tornado. I smile at her as we walk out of Victors Village and towards the town square. "Effie, maybe we should talk about a few things."

Effie smiles at me and nods her head. "Sure, what do you want to talk about? Is there anything that you want to know about me? We can talk about-"

"How about marriage...children?" Her eyes light up at the two words and I know that I'm screwed. She smiles at me and nods her head. Shaking my head I stop and look her in the eyes. Time to tell her the truth and maybe I should use a little bit of my old charm to tell her how I feel about those two things. "Sweetheart, I don't want to have kids and I have no plans to get married. What about you?"

**Time for Effie and Haymitch to talk! :D What do you think will happen? How do you think that Effie will react to Haymitch not wanting kids? What about Haymitch? Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D **

**(Remember to check out It-Was-Enchanting. Her stories are awesome and I am addicted to them... :D )**


	20. Chapter 20: One Bottle?

**Hey everyone! WOOHOO! New chapter time! This ones another more serious one, but I hope that everyone enjoys it. Thank you for reading, for all of the reviews and everything else. Who loves them some Effie and Haymitch? Okay, I'll let you get to the new chapter.  
Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(Thank you to my awesome Beta Beth, who I'm giving a small break to and will send her more chapters soon. Thank you for being my Beta and friend! Check out her stories: It-Was-Enchanting!) **

Effie POV:

My eyes stay on Haymitch and I can't believe what he just said. He cannot be serious that he has no intention of getting married or having children! What does he think that dating leads to? Just two people spending the rest of their lives bickering? No, I am going to get married and he better change his tune if he wants to be with me. I narrow my eyes at him and I cross my arms. We stare at each other and I feel his words hit me. With Haymitch I'll never get married and I'll never have children. I should just break it off before we go any farther, why should I put myself through all of this and get nothing out of it that I want. But I don't want to break things off between us and why should I? Why can't we talk about this and compromise? Taking his hand back into mine I pull him over to a bench and we sit down. He stares at me in shock and I look down at our hands.

"Let's talk this out and I'm sure that we'll come to some sort of an...agreement. We obviously want different things, but we want to be together and I'm sure that we'll come up with something." I stare at him and his brow furrows, obviously he didn't expect this. Taking a deep breath I try to keep myself calm. "You don't want to get married or have kids and I do. How about marriage isn't closed off, but it would be a small ceremony and two kids?"

Haymitch shakes his head and starts laughing. "Sweetheart, I don't see a whole lot of compromising going on here. All that I see is you getting what you want. Marriage and kids? Which one do you want more? Compromise time and we have to do it the right way."

"You know that marriage comes first and children follow! I want both of them equally and how can you resist children? You love little Aca!" He stares at me and I smile at him in a small smile. "Can't you agree on two children? It's a compromise and everything will be fine."

"Two? Are you out of your mind?" His voice is full of disbelief and I shake my head a little. I smile at him and I start playing with his fingers a little. We sit here and I look up into his eyes. Those gray Seam eyes that I've looked into for so long, that I am in love with now. "If its a compromise you'd have to go down. Are you going to go down to one kid?"

"You'll agree to one kid? Sounds good to me! See? We're compromising!" I smile at him and he shakes his head a little. Haymitch has to give in to those two things! He just has to! "Please? For me? I want to be with you, but I need to have us going somewhere and I want at least one child."

"Why do you want a kid for? They run around and get all messy..." He looks down at himself and I smile a small smile. "If you want someone to run around and get messy, just let me know. I can go back to that if you want me to. Just please don't try to make me do this."

"We can do this. I don't understand why you're so afraid of having children." Smiling I pat his hand and he pulls me up with him. We walk into the center of town and head toward the Ice Cream shop. "Are you afraid of spending the rest of your life with me? Haymitch, can't we just talk about everything? I want kids and I want to know why you don't want to, please?"

Haymitch nods his head a little. "For the same reason why any other Hunger Games victor wouldn't want to have children, because it took a part of you and you know that you can't protect your kids from everything. What if something happened and the Hunger Games started up again?"

"That is not going to happen. The Hunger Games are gone and they are never going to come back." We stop and stare at each other. His eyes are wide and I smile at him. "You can have children and not have to worry about them. Everything will be fine."

He stares at me and I look down at our intertwined fingers. We smile at each other and I look back up into his eyes. I pull him into the Ice Cream shop and we get two cones, as we walk back outside I shake my head a little. All that I can hope is that everything will work out and that Haymitch will give in. The two of us walk back towards Victors Village, he kisses me good-night before leaving. Shutting the door behind me I sigh and wonder if Haymitch will give into what I want, because I can't.

"What to do now?" I whisper in a low voice. This is a huge mess and I know what I want, but Haymitch doesn't want the same things as I do. Walking farther into my house I start to think about our conversation and I wonder if I should compromise. Could I give into him-not get married and not have children? The very thought of it breaks my heart. "No...I couldn't..."

Haymitch POV:

That woman will be the death of me! How could she even suggest that we get married and have kids? She knows what comes after marriage and I'm not an idiot! I want to be with her, but she's not going to get me to give into everything. What happened to compromising? All of that seemed to go out the window and I don't think that I can have a kid, but she wants more than one? Walking into the kitchen I walk over to the sink and open the cupboard doors, as soon as they are open I cuss at myself. Effie threw all of my bottles out of the window! That blasted woman! Now I have to go out and buy some more! Sighing I walk out of the house and start to walk towards the center of town, my minds on the alcohol. Yeah, that's what I need! The alcohol will numb everything. With a wide crooked grin on my lips I walk over to Ripper, who smiles a small smile at me.

"Haymitch, long time no see," she says in a light voice. Ripper smiles at me and I see the bag at her feet. She follows my gaze and shakes her head a little. "Is there something that I can help you with? Last thing that I heard was that you gave up the white liquor."

"Yeah, I was thinking about taking up the habit again. Want to sell me some of the stuff in that bag, sweetheart?" I ask her in a light voice and she shakes her head. She picks up the bag and shows me what's inside, making my insides scream for me to take the bag. Ripper is one of the only woman who laugh when I call her sweetheart. "How much do you want for the whole bag? Come on, old friend..."

She shakes her head a little and looks down at the bag. "Those kids paid me off and Peeta told me never to sell you any liquor again. Imagine how upset you'd make everyone and aren't you dating Effie now? She doesn't seem to like that part of you."

"Here, just take the money and save the guilt trip for someone else. Okay?" I shove the money into her hand and she stares at me as I pick up the bag. Ripper stares at me with a look that's Effie worthy and before she can say anything else I walk away from her. "See you around, Ripper. Bye..."

Heading off back towards my house I can't see anyone but Effie. Effie's everywhere, I can hear her voice and see her face. The disappointment is killing me and I don't know if I'll be able to enjoy my alcohol now. Shaking my head I walk into Victors Village and right into my house. Sitting down in the kitchen I stare at the bag, the bag that's calling me and mocking me. She will kill me if she finds out that I bought it and if I drink it...I don't know what she'll do. I made her that promise and what should I do?

"Fine sweetheart, you win..." I mumble walking over to the sink and opening a bottle. Tipping it I watch as the white liquor pours out and down the drain. Someone slams my front door and in stomps Effie, her eyes are full of anger and her eyes flicker to the almost empty bottle in my hand. The bottle that's slowly being poured down the drain. "What are you doing here, sweetheart?"

"Don't you sweetheart me Haymitch Abernathy! I saw you carrying that bag in here!" She's screaming and I stare at her for a few minutes. After the bottle is fully drained I hold it up and she stares at it. The tears building up in her eyes make me feel even worse. "You think that you can fool me and fake pouring it down the drain? If you want to drink, then drink, but be honest with me at least!"

Sighing I walk over to her and stare at her. I would try to hold her hands, but she would just push me away and I know it. "Effie, I bought the white liquor and I thought about drinking it. No, I didn't drink any of it and I poured the whole thing down the drain. As soon as I came home I came in here and poured it down the drain. You were the only person that I saw and the only voice that I could hear. Some how and I don't know how, you got me to want to be a better guy. You deserve someone better and I know that the alcohol hurts you."

Shaking my head I take her hands in mine and when she tries to pull away, I pull her tightly to me. Her eyes are wide and the tears start to pour out. I stare at her and start cussing myself out in my head for making her cry. Effie is not supposed to be crying, she never should cry.

"Don't cry, please don't cry. Effie, I'm not going to drink and this was a test for me. Here...pour these down the drain." I lead her over to the bag and hand her a bottle. She stares down at it and starts to shake her head. The tears that are pouring down her cheeks makes me want to punch myself. "Here, please? Effie, look at me. Come on, we can get married and have children. Please just talk to me."

Her eyes meet mine and I see the sadness in them. I let go of her and she puts the bottle down, slowly she backs out of the room.

**WOOHOO! Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D Another chapter coming soon! (If you like Twilight and Perfect Chemistry I've got a few fanfics. for both, check them out. :D )**

***I might not update for a few days and if I do it will probably be on Friday. :D ***


	21. Chapter 21: It's Not Over

**Hey everyone! WOOHOO! New chapter time! Thank you to everyone for reading, for all of the reviews and everything else. I know that there aren't many Effie and Haymitch pairings...or if anyone else has paired them, but thank you for supporting the story! :D Personally I always wanted the two of them to get together and all of you are making it possible for me to make this story what it is. Thank you!  
****OH MY GOD! What do you think of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss? I'm still a little iffy about it, but I'll keep an open mind until I see her in The Hunger Games. *Fingers crossed***

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(My sister made a little joke about no Happy Birthday message to her in my Hunger Games fanfics., so here it is. :D Happy Birthday to my sister and best friend, Tara! I love you sissy (if you are reading this) and thank you for supporting me (getting me on here). Happy Birthday to you.)**

**(Happy Birthday to MysteriousGirl92 *who shares the same birthday as my sister*! :D I hope that you have a good birthday! *Your gift is here! HAHA!)**

**(Thank you to my AWESOME Beta Beth! You have supported me with every chapter and you fix my silly mistakes. You make the stories better. THANK YOU! :D )**

**(Happy Birthday to Girlwho3stheBoyWithTheBread, who's birthday is also on the 19th. I hope that you have a good birthday! :D )**

Effie POV:

Tears roll down my cheeks and I try to quickly brush them away, but it doesn't do any good. I walk into my kitchen and look at how clean it is. Right now I'm thankful that Hazelle isn't here and that I'm alone. No one can see me break down, no one ever has and I'm not about to let anyone now. My eyes land on the flowers that are sitting on my kitchen table, the flowers that Haymitch gave to me. Walking over to them I take a deep breath and pick them up. My eyes take them in and I walk over to the garbage can. With shaky hand I take the flowers out of the vase and throw them away. Taking a deep breath I walk over to the sink and put the empty vase in it, leaving the water in it. Closing my eyes for a minute I try to pull myself together, but its pointless. Haymitch gave into the temptation of white liquor, he had the bottle in his hand and a full bag of it at his feet. My fingers run through my hair and I try to think of what I should do next. If I go back to the Capitol I could get a job and just live there, away from Haymitch...is that what I really want? He messed up once, but maybe he won't again. Shaking my head I walk into the sitting room and sit down on the couch. What should I do now? Can I really trust him? Maybe...

"Effie, are you okay?" I almost jump at her voice and I look up at into her gray eyes. She walks farther into the room and I shake my head a little. Why did she have to come here right now? My eyes stay on the floor as I try to think of a way to get away from her, but I can't think of one. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Katniss, I really don't feel like talking right now and I'm fine. Just forget that you ever saw me like this, okay?" My voice cracks and she sits down next to me. The tears continue to fall, even as I try my best to try and stop them. I have finally lost control of the always happy charade. Now I'm broken. "You should really go be with Peeta and the baby. I'm sure that you'd rather be with them then me."

She starts to shake her head and I look up at her in shock. "No, why don't you tell me what's going on. What happened with Haymitch?"

"What makes you think that this has something to do with him? Can't it be something else? Does my world revolve around him now?" I feel defensive and the tears stop falling. Katniss stares at me and says nothing. "I'm just thinking about what I want and what I need, which obviously has nothing to do with Haymitch. After all how hard is it to stay away from those stupid bottles after you promise someone that you will? After that person left their home and came to stupid District Twelve for you?"

I look over at her and wish that I could take the words back. Did I come here for him? That's something that I never really thought about, until now that is. Shaking my head I look down at my long pink finger nails and I wish that some how I could go back to being the old Effie, but I know that I can't. Being with Haymitch has changed me and I don't want to give up what I have with him, why should I? So what, he messed up once and I trust him. Maybe he won't do it again and we can be together. Just a few hours ago he told me that we can have a future together and that made my heart melt. Children and marriage are the two things that I asked for. He promised them both to me.

"Haymitch...drank?" Katniss's voice snaps me back into reality and I stare at her, not really understanding. She's staring at me with a confused expression and I just shake my head a little. "But you just said that he had those stupid bottles. Effie tell me what's going on."

I shake my head a little and look up into her eyes. "Nothing is, it was a misunderstanding. I think that I might make a small trip to the Capitol though. Maybe I need a little time away from District Twelve and I can think everything through. Haymitch had a bag of-"

"Did he drink it?" Her voice is hard and I just shrug. Can I really tell her that he didn't? I saw him pouring it out, but I don't know if he drank anything before I walked in. She can get the truth out of him if she wants to. "You don't know? What was he doing when you saw him?"

"He was pouring it down the drain, but I don't know if he drank any of it. Right now I'm just...confused," my voice is hallow and I shake my head again. My eyes hurt from crying and I just want to go upstairs and lay down in my bed. I want to forget that any of this ever happened and I want to erase it all, just go back to how good things were going. Can't I just forget about it and let the happiness come back in? "Katniss...I want to go upstairs and lay down for a little while. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

She just nods her head and I stand up to walk up the stairs. I don't look back as I walk up the stairs and into my room. My head hits the pillows and a few tears escape from my eyes. Tomorrow everything will be better and I'll talk to Haymitch. Everything will be set right, but right now I need to sleep.

Haymitch POV:

My geese are running around as I pour the white liquor into their water. They all seem to like it...who knew? Shaking my head I walk back into my house and I try to think of a way to get Effie to talk to me again, but I can't just go over there. Effie wouldn't just let me walk into her house after all of that. Maybe I should go out and buy her some flowers or something. Shaking my head I sit down in one of the chairs and try to think of a way out of this mess. The front door opens and slams shut. Their voices flow down to me and I shake my head. Katniss and Peeta obviously heard about what happened, which means that now I'm going to hear it from them. Great! Not like seeing Effie cry was bad enough, now I get to get a lecture from Katniss about the whole thing. I didn't even drink! Why is everyone acting like its the end of the world? Effie I can understand, but Katniss and Peeta? Really?

Their voices are getting closer and I shake my head a little. Peeta's voice is soft as he says, "Katniss, why don't we ask him about it first? Effie said that she didn't know if he drank it or not. Didn't she say that he was pouring it down the drain when she walked in?"

"So? He _still_ had it, which means that he _still_ broke the promise," says Katniss in an annoyed voice. I shake my head and walk out into the backyard, this is not something that I'm going to listen to right now. Walking over to the fence I look up at it and see the tree in front of it. "HAYMITCH? WHERE ARE YOU?"

Shit, I gotta get out of here right now. I start to climb the tree and I almost fall down. Jeez, I have to start doing this more often I don't know when I might have to do this and now is an emergency. When I get up to the third branch I smile as I navigate my way onto the fence and I easily drop onto the other side. I land on my chest and it knocks the wind out of me. My head is spinning as I sit up and I shake my head a little. Cuss words are flying out of my mouth like there's no tomorrow and I look around the yard. Flowers are every where, separated by the colors and different types. I stop looking around and realize that I just jumped over the fence into Effie's yard. This is not a good way for me to win her back over...now I'm really screwed. Maybe I could just sneak through her house and out the front door...

I walk over to the back door and see that its locked. Shaking my head I look around the yard, but there's no tree for me to climb to get back into my yard and there's no where for me to hide. Well this is just great! Maybe I should just knock on the door and talk to Effie, but what if she tells me to leave? How do I get myself into these situations? Walking over to the small table with two chairs on the porch, I sit down and stare at the flowers. There's nothing to do but wait for her to unlock the doors and I'm hoping that it happens soon. Maybe I could climb up to her window and sneak down the stairs. With a small smile on my lips I walk over to the other side of the house and look up. Her doors are open and I smile a little, perfect plan. Easily I climb the tree next to her balcony and I fall onto the balcony. As quietly as I can I tip-toe into her room and see her sleeping. I stop and look at her for a minute, she's been crying.

"Effie...everything will be okay," I whisper to her. She starts to stir around in her sleep and I walk over to her bedside. Looking down at her I notice that she's still in the clothes that she was wearing earlier. "I'm sorry sweetheart, will you ever forgive me?"

Deciding not to press my luck I start to tip-toe away from her, but I run into a table. The table's knocked over onto its side, with all of the items onto falling onto the floor and me landing beside them all. Effie jumps up and I look over at her. Her eyes are wide in shock and she screams at the sight of me. Maybe she's mad because I'm in her room or maybe its because I almost broke her table.

"Sorry," I grumble as I stand up and I pick up the table. Her eyes stay on me the whole time as I pick up the items and put them back on the table the best way that I can. "Really sorry...for everything."

I look at her one last time before I start to back towards the door, our eyes staying locked. "Haymitch-"

"You don't have to say anything. Effie, I know that I screwed up and I want you to know that I didn't drink. You should know that you deserve better..." I fall out of her door and land on the floor in the hallway. She comes running over to me and she kneels down beside me. My eyes lock with her's again and I look away. "I'm sorry and I know that you're pissed at me-"

Her lips press against mine and she silences me. My fingers tangle in her hair and her fingers brush across my cheeks. When she pulls away I see the tears forming in her eyes and I brush them away. I don't understand why she's crying now!

"I believe you..." she whispers to me and I run my fingers through her hair. We stare at each other and a few more tears escape from her eyes. "I'm sorry too..."

Now its my turn to be confused. "Why would you be sorry?"

She smiles at me and runs her fingers across my cheek. "For not believing you..."

**YAY! Happy ending to the chapter! :D What did you think? Did you like it? Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D**

**(Check out the AMAZING It-Was-Enchanting stories, I LOVE all of them and I'm sure that all of you will too. She's given me so much support on my stories and ideas. Beth is dedicated to her stories and has you keep guessing about what will happen next. You'll be wanting more before you finish the chapter. Yes, she's that good. :D )**


	22. Chapter 22: And The Fun Begins

**Hey everyone! WOOHOO! I had a blast writing this chapter and I hope that everyone likes it. Thank you for reading, for all of the reviews and everything else. I have a lot of fun writing these two and I don't know what I would do without them. :D Maybe I have a little too much fun...**

**ENJOY!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(Thank you to my AWESOME Beta and friend Beth *It-Was-Enchanting*. Check out her stories-they are AMAZING! I love them all and she just started a new one...check them out and you will be addicted...like ME! Some addictions are good...trust me. :D )**

**(I'll be writing two fanfictions for Fandom Fights Tsunami, so check that out! I have the link to it on my profile and on my facebook like page.)**

**(I keep getting told that I should do a SYOT, which I do want to do but not until after I get a few stories completed. :D Seven are in progress right now *I'm updating a Christmas one once a year for Twilight*, but after that I'd love to write a SYOT. Don't worry I'll get there after some time. :D Thank you everyone!)**

Effie POV:

I walk down the stairs as the banging on the door begins. Shaking my head I already know that its Katniss, just by the way that she's hammering on my door. When I reach the door I put a smile on my lips and open it, and sure enough there she is. Her eyes are full of anger and I just shake my head. Why does this girl hold onto so much anger? She should really just let it all go, it's a lot healthier for you. Taking a step back I let her walk into the house and that's when I see Peeta, who's shaking his head. When he's walking past me he whispers, "sorry." I just smile and nod my head. Katniss is staring at me when I turn to face them and she crosses her arms. Uh, maybe I shouldn't have told her about the whole thing-I mean everything's fine now and we've agreed on marriage...and children. Haymitch comes walking down the stairs and he turns around to go back up the stairs, but Katniss is already racing up the stairs. She grabs his arm and turns him to face her. Both of them have anger clear on their faces.

"Why did you have to do that? What are you doing here?" screams Katniss, making Haymitch narrow his eyes. These two are too alike and that's a huge problem. Fire and fire. "Do you want to loose her or something? Last time that I talked to you, you were saying how much you loved her and then you decide to go drink-"

"You don't know anything about that and I didn't drink! Get the whole story straight, before you accuse someone of something, sweetheart," retorts Haymitch and he glares at her. Their eyes stay locked as Peeta walks over to the couch and sits down. I do the same as him, knowing that neither of us can stop them. "Everything's fine between us and we made up, so why are you here? Sweetheart-"

"Stop sweethearting me!" She says through gritted teeth and I just shake my head. "You are the one who's risking everything for a little buzz!"

I look over at Peeta and try to smile. "So...Peeta, how are things going? How's Ace doing? She looks so adorable and I can't wait to see her tonight!"

"She's doing good and I can't wait either. I'm hoping that tonight will help Katniss lighten up a bit," Peeta says and he shakes his head. We both look over at the two of them and I can't help but shake my head. "After they stop yelling at each other we'll go get her and drop her off over here. Do you still want to babysit?"

"Of course! Do you think Katniss will calm down soon?" We both look back over at them and he shrugs. I smile at him and he walks over to Katniss, to my surprise he picks her up and carries her towards the front door. Katniss doesn't stop screaming and neither does Haymitch. The door closes behind them and Haymitch shakes his head. "Are you ready to babysit tonight? That will be fun."

He looks over at me, as though he forgot about the whole thing and he nods his head. "Yeah, how hard can taking care of a little...kid be?"

"We'll be doing it together and I'm sure that we'll be fine. Go home and get changed." He raises his eyebrows at me and I shake my head a little. A small smile forms on my lips and I look back up at him. "Don't you want to change since you'll be here all night? Katniss and Peeta probably won't pick her up until tomorrow."

"Sure, sweetheart," he says to me in a light voice. Haymitch leans down and kisses me lightly on the lips. I smile at him as he walks towards the front door, but he turns back and winks at me. "First night that we're spending together...this will be a night that you'll never forget sweetheart."

My jaw drops open and my eyes go wide, he better be joking! He smiles and walks out the front door, leaving me standing here speechless. I shake my head a little as I go up to my room to change. Looking through my closet I wonder what I should wear, I mean I have to look nice while babysitting. Poor Acacia gets enough of horrible fashion statements when she's around her mother. Some of her outfits give me nightmares! Who really chooses comfort over fashion? It hurts to be fashionable and after sometime, it doesn't at all.

"This one..." I whisper as I take out a light pink nightgown. A small smile forms on my lips as I change into it and I look at myself in the mirror. Perfect...but I need the matching slippers, robe and hair tie. Carefully I pull my hair back into a neat ponytail and put on my robe. Slowly I push my feet into my slippers and I let out a light sigh. "Perfect, just perfect. Wait till they see me..."

There's a light knock on the door and I rush out of my room to the stairs. I open the front door and I see Peeta standing there with Acacia in his arms. He smiles at me and hands me little Ace, who's dressed in her light pink pajamas, little pink robe, slippers and he puts her bag down on the floor. Peeta kisses Ace on the top of her head and smiles at me. "She's learning how to walk...I should warn you."

Learning to walk?

Haymitch POV:

I walk into my house and walk up the stairs to change. For some reason I want to change, damn, that woman's changed me and I didn't even notice it. How could she do that without me noticing? Because she's a sneaky woman. Shaking my head I pull out a pair of stretchy pants-well...I might as well be comfortable if I'm going to be over there all night and these are some comfortable pants and a plain white t-shirt. I change quickly and walk back down the stairs. A smile starts to form on my lips as I walk out the front door and over towards her house. When I reach the door I walk in without knocking and I see Effie holding onto Acacia as if she's going to die if she puts her down. Oh, does she really love the little girl that much? Little Ace is squirming in her arms and she starts mumbling things.

"Come to Uncle Haymitch!" I say in a cheery voice and I take her from Effie, who stares at me with wide eyes. Acacia smiles at me and starts giggling. I was there when she was born and believe me this little girl is weird, she started smiling when she saw me. "Why do you look so afraid sweetheart?"

Effie's eyes lock with mine and she shakes her head a little. "Haymitch, she's learning how to walk. I saw it with my own eyes...she was stumbling around and she fell-"

"That's how kids learn to walk. Aw, little Aca...do you want down? Here we go," I say as I put her down on the floor. Effie's eyes stay on her as she starts crawling around the house, the two of us follow her and when she reaches the couch, she pulls herself up. A smile starts to form on my lips as she takes her first step and she takes another, but then she falls to the floor. Aca gets this angry look on her face, one that mimics her mother's and she gets back up. "She's too much like her mother. Don't you see it?"

"She didn't even cry!" Effie says to me in disbelief. I look over at her and chuckle, before I walk into the kitchen to get a glass of water. She follows me and grabs onto my arm. "Don't you think we should get her something to drink? Maybe...milk or something?"

I think about it for a second and nod my head. "Yeah, ask her what she wants-maybe she can form full sentences now."

"Haymissh," says a little voice and we both look around. Little Acacia is standing by the coffee table and is tearing apart a magazine. She looks happy and content, the smile on her lips is wide. "Haymissh. Mommys. Daddys. Effli."

"Katniss did mention something about her learning how to talk," Effie says and she smiles. I shake my head and I know that she is trying to say my name, my heart feels a little heavier. Now is when I wish I could have my white liquor, to turn off the emotions. "She said Effie!"

"Actually, she said Effli," I say back with a wide grin. Effie shakes her head and walks over to Ace, she starts to take the magazine away from her, but that girl holds on tight. "Oh, let her be! She's happy with that and I'll buy you some new ones tomorrow."

"No, we have to start telling her no. Acacia, let go of the magazine for Auntie Effie," she says in a light voice, but Acacia has one hand on the coffee table and one good grip on the magazine. Little Aca sticks her tounge out and I start laughing. "That was not funny or polite. Acacia, honey...let go of the magazine."

"No." I smile at Aca as the word comes out of her mouth. That's the first word that I've heard her say correctly and I can't help but think that its funny, mostly because Effie's already getting frustrated. "No."

Effie looks over at me and I chuckle as I step forward to help her. Acacia starts pulling at the magazine and I pick her up, she starts thrashing around. "Come on, we'll get you a cookie and some milk. Do you want a cookie, sweetheart?"

As soon as the words are out of my mouth she lets go of the magazine and starts nodding her head. I chuckle and carry her into the kitchen. Carefully I set her down on the counter top and walk over to the cookie jar. I take out three cookies, grab a glass and go to the fridge to get the milk.

"See you just have to know how to make them happy," I say in a loud voice to Effie. "They aren't that hard to please and you always have to be one step ahead-"

"WAHHHH!" I turn around and see Acacia on the floor. Her eyes are shut and tears are falling down her cheeks. She's screaming like someone's trying to kill her. Shaking my head I walk over to her and pick her up. "OWWIE!"

Effie runs into the room and this is the first time that I see her outfit, she looks beautiful. "What happened?"

"She fell off the counter," I say and I look back at Aca. Shaking my head I decide to add, "or jumped."

I hand Aca a cookie and she stops crying. She starts to eat the cookie and the tears start to go away. Looking over at Effie I know that this is going to be a long night and its just begun.

**Woohoo! What did you think? :D Haha! This chapter was a lot of fun to write and I hope that everyone liked it. What do you think will happen next? Ahhhh...I am horrible to these two, haha! I have too much fun writing. Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D**


	23. Chapter 23: A Long Night

**Hey everyone! :D :D :D :D WOOHOO! It's update time! I hope that everyone likes the story so far and that all of you like this new one. Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. Effie and Haymitch are fun to write, they are an odd pairing but they work at the same time. Call me weird, but I always saw these two getting together (okay, I am a little weird and all that-but they are cute together!). :D **

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**(I wrote this update late so my awesome Beta did not check this chapter, *I'll go back to giving her my mistakes to fix next week-which I'm thankful that I have Beth as a Beta*. Check out her stories: It-Was-Enchanting! They are all amazing and I'm addicted to them...send me more to Beta soon! :D )**

Effie POV:

Looking down at the floor I see a wailing Acacia. My eyes dart back up to Haymitch, who is standing there looking confused. I walk over to Acacia and pick her up. She keeps crying and I start bouncing around with her, which seems to make things worse. Haymitch has a cookie in his hand and a glass sitting on the counter behind him. Walking over to him I grab the cookie and give it to Aca. As soon as she sees the cookie she stops crying and starts biting little pieces off. Slowly I turn away and walk back into the sitting room. When I sit down Ace holds her cookie up and kisses me on the cheek. I smile a small smile at her and in walks Haymitch, with a glass of milk and two other cookies. He sits down next to us and Acacia smiles at him. Shaking his head he gives her the glass and she takes little sips of it. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. This little girl is sweet, but she's like her mother in a lot of ways.

"Okay, its night-night time!" I say in an enthusiastic voice and I see the wide smile on Acacia's face. Oh good, she likes bed time. She slides off of my lap, puts down her now empty glass and starts to waddle away. A few seconds later she's running around the house and we are both chasing her. "Acacia, its time for bed! Come to Aunt Effie so she can put you in your bed."

"Hehe!" Is the only response that I get from her and she keeps on running. She runs into the kitchen and I look over at the couch to see Haymitch sitting down. He just shakes his head and eats the one of the two other cookies that he brought into the room with him. I walk into the kitchen and start looking around, but I don't see her any where. That is until she starts giggling and I see that she's by the door. "Casch meeee!"

She turns around and runs out of the room. I shake my head a little bit and run out of the kitchen after her. Haymitch just sits there and munches on his cookie, making me want to throw something at him. Really? He can't put down his cookie and help me for two minutes? Acacia runs around the coffee table and Haymitch just shakes his head, he starts egging her on to run faster.

"What are you doing?" I whisper to him in an angry voice. The only response that I get is a chuckle. Haymitch leans back into the couch and just shakes his head, like he knows something that I don't. Slowly I sit down next to him and he hands me the other cookie. "Really? You're just going to sit here and let her run around the house and not get any sleep? Katniss will kill-"

He just shakes his head and starts laughing. "Effie if you let the girl run around until she's tired it saves us both a lot of work and she will tire herself out. You chasing after her just makes her go for longer and you get tired too. Just let her run around and she'll stop."

"You really think that your little plan is going to work? She's not going to stop," I say in a light voice and I look back towards the kitchen. Acacia comes running out giggling. My eyes stay on her as she pulls herself up the steps. "Where's she going now?"

"Don't go up after her," says Haymitch and I look over at him in disbelief. He shakes his head and looks out the window. "I think that she wants to play hide and seek or she's going to get tired, find a room and lay down. Trust me."

After what seems like forever Haymitch stands up and walks over to the stairs, quickly I get up and follow him. He smiles at me as he starts to walk up the steps. We sneak around the upstairs, into the bathroom, the closets, my room and one of the guest rooms. I start to panic when I don't see her, but Haymitch just chuckles and walks on. Acacia better be sleeping some where or else Haymitch is going to get it.

I smile at him as he puts his hand on a door knob. "Is the plan still going the way that you thought that it would? Acacia isn't in your arms, so maybe you were wrong."

"I doubt that sweetheart," he says in a light voice and he chuckles when he opens the bedroom door. Slowly we edge our way into the room and see Acacia sleeping on the bed. This guest room is barley used, the walls are a light pink, the bedding is a bright clean white and the floors match the bedding. Haymitch chuckles and walks back out into the hallway. I look back at Acacia again and I shake my head. How could Haymitch be right about this? He doesn't even want children, but he knows how to take care of them? "Still sure that you want a little monster, sweetheart?"

"Of course I don't want a monster," I say in a light voice and he nods his head a little. Just by looking into his eyes I can see the relief and he thinks that he's won. "I want a child, they are two different things."

Haymitch POV:

I shake my head a little bit as Effie walks away from me. She really wants a little monster? Didn't she notice how much of a hard time she had with just babysitting? Silently I follow her towards her room and she smiles at me when I reach the doorway. A cocky smile forms on my lips, but she just shakes her head a little bit. Effie steps back out of the room and kisses me lightly on the lips, which has me ready to go into her room. She takes a step back and is back in her room, I take a step towards her, but she stops me. Now I'm confused, she's let me in her room before. What's different now?

"Nope, not tonight," she says in a light voice. Effie starts closing the door a little bit and I just stare at her in shock. Is she really doing this? This is unbelievable! She's slowly shutting the door and I watch as the smile grows wider on her lips. "Good night, Haymitch."

I stop the door and she just smiles at me. "Where am I supposed to sleep?"

"You didn't think that you were going to sleep in here, did you?" She asks me in a shocked voice and shakes her head a little. Oh, this woman is starting a game that she's not ready for. Her eyes come back up to meet mine and she shakes her head a little more. "Haymitch, Haymitch, Haymitch...Acacia is right down the hall and since you just got used to the idea of having a child with me, I think that we shouldn't push things. Night-"

"I've slept in your room before." She looks down at the floor and I think back to that night, about everything that I promised her and myself. Her eyes come back up to meet mine and I see the vulnerability in them. "Effie, are you okay?"

She nods her head a little bit and drops her gaze to the floor. "That night is...one night that I don't want to remember. What I did...it wasn't me and it wasn't right. You don't think of me like I was that night, do you?"

"No, everyone makes mistakes," I say to her and I lean in to kiss her again. She smiles at me and I start to back away. Her eyes stay on me as I back my way over to the room across the hall. I wink at her and a light blush creeps into her cheeks. "Night, sweetheart."

Turning around I walk into the room and shut the door. Looks like tonight will be a long night and for some reason I feel like its far from being over. I walk over to the bed and sit down. My mind is racing with thoughts of what I want to do, there are a few different things, some of them might make Effie happy and others...won't. Sighing I lay back onto the pillows, thinking that sleep might help me. I close my eyes, but they open-after what seems like minutes, when I feel someone poking me in the forehead.

"Acacia, what are you doing out of bed?" I ask her in a groggy tone and she just stares at me with wide eyes. Cussing under my breath I sit up and look down at her. "What's wrong?"

She climbs up into my bed and looks up at me. "Uncle Haymish, I had a bad dream-"

"It wasn't real, that's the good thing about nightmares," I mumble under my breath. She stares at me and I let out a light sigh. What does this girl want from me? "What do you want me to do about it? Check your room? Want me to go to your room and wait till you get back to sleep?"

"No..." she says in a light voice and I just look at her. Her eyes get wide and she looks down at the bedding. "Can I sleep with you?"

My eyebrows go up. What? This is why I am not meant to have a child. When they have nightmares they want to sleep in the same bed as you and after you've survived a Hunger Games you have nightmares too. I look into her blue eyes and I shake my head a little, damn. "Okay, fine...but you have to go right to sleep and no funny business."

"Yay! Thanks Uncle Haymish." She lays right down and I go right over to the edge. When I-wait no, if I have children with Effie this will be her job. "Night."

Letting out a deep sigh I roll onto my side and say, "night sweetheart."

My eyes go to the clock and I see that its already one o'clock in the morning. Perfect, the day is over and another day has already started-but this day doesn't look much better then the last.

**WOOOHOO! What did all of you think? :D I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I love Acacia! Haha! Hm, what will happen next? Poor Haymitch has little Ace running into his room... :D Thank you for reading and please leave a review! **


	24. Chapter 24: The Game Begins

**HEY EVERYONE! WOOHOO! UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE! (Sorry I had a mocha today and I think that I'm still on a little bit of a coffee high.) :D Long week and here's an update for all of you. Hopefully everyone likes it and that all of you like the story so far. Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. *If you read it, please leave a review, they help me to see if I'm going in the right direction and let me know what people think. One word or even a smiley face. :D ***

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**Thank you to my AWESOME Beta-Beth! She puts up with me and fixes my mistakes, what would I do without her? :D Go read It-Was-Enchanting's stories now-seriously they are AMAZING! I'm addicted and I always check to see if she's updated. You'll be addicted. **

Effie POV:

My eyes flicker open and I the light shines in through the windows. Slowly I sit up and look around the room, a little confused at first. I have to go check on Acacia, that's the first thing and then I'll find something to make for breakfast. Okay the last part was a lie, I'm not very good at cooking and the last thing that I want to do is kill her with my cooking. Getting fully out of bed I walk out into the hallway and down the hall to the room where Acacia fell asleep last night. I open the door slowly and peek into the room, my heart stops when I see that the bed is empty. Empty? No, no, no! This cannot be happening! How can I loose a little girl when she's sleeping? Katniss is going to kill me! Panic washes through me and I start running around the house looking for her, but I don't see her anywhere. Letting out a deep breath I try to think things through and then it hits me...Haymitch. He can help me find her and he's my last hope, or else we are both going to be killed by Katniss.

Quickly I run back up the stairs and into Haymitch's room. The words get stuck in my throat when I look at the bed and see little Ace sleeping next to Haymitch. Her head's on his chest and one of his arms are wrapped around her. A small smile forms on my lips. How can he say that he won't be good with a child? Shaking my head I carefully walk back out of the room and close the door. Shaking my head I walk down the stairs and into the kitchen. Looking at all of the...things in here I realize for the first time since I moved here that I don't have any idea what they are and how to use them. Walking over to the big thing that has a shiny black top, with two different...drawers? What is this thing used for? I walk over to my fridge and pull out a steak, with a small smile on my lips I open the door, which makes me jump back a little and put the steak in. Closing the door I stare at the clock and wait a few minutes before I check on it, but its still not...edible?

"Morning Effie," Haymitch says from behind me. I start hitting the stupid thing and I hear him chuckle. Slowly I turn to face him and I see the amused look on his face. He starts shaking his head and gestures for me to continue, but I cross my arms and stare at him. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to...cook this steak." I step away from the thing and Haymitch walks over. When he looks inside of the thing, he starts laughing and shakes his head a little. My eyes narrow as I glare at him and he looks over at me. "What? This...this thing has to be broken or something."

Haymitch shakes his head and takes the steak back out. With a wide smile on my lips he turns to me and I keep staring at him. With each second that passes his expression becomes more and more amused. "This _thing_ is called an oven, you don't have the steak ready to cook, and you have to turn the _thing_ on, sweetheart."

"This _thing_ is called an _oven_? Really?" He nods his head and I stare at him in disbelief. How much of an idiot does he think I am? I've fallen for WAY too many of his games already and this is one that I will not fall for. "Maybe its just here for decoration and it shouldn't be touched. I mean, with such a BEAUTIFUL name! What are all of these other _things_called? Maybe a chair isn't a chair anymore?"

To my disbelief he starts laughing and I shake my head at him. "Sweetheart, I am not playing around this time. That is called an oven and you can ask Peeta when they pick up Aca."

"She's making you soft, isn't she? I saw that you let her sleep in the same bed as you!" I say all of this in a gushy voice and Haymitch's expression goes blank. A small smile forms on my lips and I shake my head a little. "Really, that little girl is so cute and you are really good with her. I can't believe that you let her sleep with you, that was so adorable! Katniss will love to-"

"You better not tell her anything," he says in a threatening tone and my smile widens. Oh, he doesn't want anyone to know that he has a soft spot? Hm... "Effie-"

"Okay, but then you can make the three of us something for breakfast." I smile at him and walk past him, towards the sitting room. When I reach the door I look back at him and wink. He's staring at me in disbelief and I can't help but smile. "And sweetheart, don't forget about little Aca..."

I walk out of the kitchen and leave him standing there. My smile is wide and I shake my head a little. Haymitch is starting to get his own game played back at him and who's winning? Carefully I sit down on the couch and close my eyes. A few seconds later I slowly open them and see Aca and Haymitch standing in front of me, with two spray cans full of something pink.

I gasp and the two of them grin evilly. "Don't. You. Dare."

Haymitch POV:

The pink water squirts out at Effie and I start laughing. She did just dare me to, didn't she? Acacia is laughing and I smile down at her. Effie stands up and I see the fiery look in her eyes. With a smile on my lips I spray her again and she starts to chase me around the house. Little Ace runs up to Effie and wraps her arms around Effie's legs, stopping her. When she looks down at the little girl, she lets out a deep breath and glares at me. Maybe me and this girl can work together, she calmed Effie down pretty fast. She picks her up and carries her over to the couch. I walk back into the kitchen, with a wide smile on my lips. Looking down at the stove, I watch as the eggs cook and I feel something cold run down my back. Turning around I see Effie and she sprays me right in the face.

"Payback," she whispers and walks out of the room. I have to give her credit, I didn't think that she would do that, so the games still on. But I'll get her back _after_Acacia goes home, now we are going into the adult version of this game. "You two hungry?"

I walk out into the dinning room and put two of the plates down. The two of them walk over and sit down, while I go back into the kitchen to get my plate. When I walk back out I watch as Effie starts playing a game with Acacia to get her to eat. My eyes go wide as I watch Effie act like the spoon is a train and Aca opens her mouth wide. They both start laughing as Effie gets another spoonful and does it again. Shit, now I'm fucked. She's good with the kid and how can I deny her a kid?

"Uncle Haymish, good." Acacia takes the fork and starts to do the train thing back to Effie, who smiles. I let a light chuckle escape from my mouth as she opens her mouth. "Mommy and daddy?"

I smile and nod my head a little. "Mommy and daddy will be here after you finish your food like a good little girl. Finish your food for Aunt Effie."

She does as she's told and a few minutes later in walks the kids. I shake my head when Katniss walks over to Acacia and she picks her up. Acacia kisses her on the cheek and hugs Peeta when he takes her. Katniss takes her back and Peeta wraps his arm around Katniss. They look like a small, happy family...

"Thanks for watching her," says Peeta in a cheery voice. Effie is all smiles and I just nod my head. She better keep to our little deal... "She wasn't any trouble was she?"

Acacia pulls on her dad's shirt and he looks over at her. "Daddy, Uncle Haymish let me sleep in his bed when I had a nightsmare. Just like you and mommy."

The smile that forms on Katniss' lips makes me want to crawl into a hole. I watch as the three of them walk out the front door and an evil smile forms on my lips. Oh this is going to be fun. Looking over at Effie I smile and she raises her eyebrows at me.

"Sweetheart, let's take this game to a new level..." Her eyes go wide and she runs away. I smile as I chase after her and she starts giggling. "When I catch you-"

"You'll never catch me!" yells Effie and she runs out the front door. This is great, the playing field just got a whole lot bigger. I chase after her and follow the sound of her giggling. She can really run, I'll give her that. "Haymitch! If you don't catch me in half an hour...you have to let me make myself my own little place at your house!"

A smile forms on my lips and I think, _she will NEVER have her own little space at my house. All that pink and girly shit, not going to happen_. "When I win...well, I'll just let you see."

I keep running after her and hope that I can catch her, but she's pretty slithery. She runs out of view, but I keep running. As I run I try to come up with a plan, but I come up with nothing, so I keep running and hope that she'll stop or something. But that woman just keeps on running. You're a Hunger Games Victor, you can do this...you can do this...I think...

**HAHA! Okay, I'm having way, way, way too much fun with this! Hm...Effie and Haymitch are way too much fun. :D Thank you for reading and please leave a review! Team Effie & Haymitch! :D**

**(Beta note! Yeah, this story ROCKS! SO REVIEW IT. YEAH! And remember, any mistakes are my fault! REVIEW THIS THING! I will send you virtual cookies if you do... It-Was-Enchanting.)**


	25. Chapter 25: A Big BANG!

**Yayayaya! Oh-hey everyone! It's update time in KelsNicole Land! :D Haha! This week has been great and I feel so great about everything. Thank you for reading, the reviews and everything else. All of my stories are kind of like my babies and I love them so much, just knowing that people like them makes me feel so proud of them. Thank you all of you for all of the support. Okay time to let you get to the chapter...**

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(My AWESOME Beta and friend Beth *It-Was-Enchanting* (who's stories you should check out, they are awesome!) did not get to Beta this chapter. So sorry for any mistakes in here.) **

**Happy Birthday to Beth and Sophie on April 18th! Mockingjay272 on April 22ed! Happy Birthday! Hope that all of you have great birthdays!**

Effie POV:

With a light giggle I run into the bakery and I'm thankful that Peeta accidentally left it unlocked. Slowly I tip-toe my way into the back and sit down on a stool to rest my feet. I can walk in any pair of heels that you throw at me, but running in them-that's a different story. Shaking my head a little I take my shoes off and close my eyes, but the sound of the front door opening makes me jump up. Frantically I look around and see a small door, that's halfway open. Quickly I push the door open and rush inside. Taking a deep breath I look around me and see that I'm in a storage closet, but there's more to it. Slowly I walk farther into the closet, looking at all of the supplies. There are shelves up high, with ladders leaning against the shelves leading up to them. Voices fill the closet and I run slide behind a crate that's beside a hole with a ladder leading down. Peeta laughs and I let out a light breath, its just him.

"You do realize that if you're planning on being with Prim that you have to get past Katniss first? She's not going to be easy on you." Peeta lets out a light chuckle and his footsteps come closer to me. I push my back up against the wall and hold my breath. "Don't worry though, she'll be fine with it after sometime. Just don't talk to her about what you're...talking to me about, okay? Or else she will kill you."

"I thought that Katniss already liked me. Why doesn't she now?" Rory's voice is low and I see his shadow. They are going to be next to me in a few seconds. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you're dating Prim-who's my sister by the way, so I do have to tell you this. If you hurt her, Katniss will hurt you." Rory and Peeta both stop when they are right next to me. Peeta's back stays to me as he pulls a bag of flower off of the floor, but Rory sees me. His eyes are wide and I wish that I could have found a better hiding spot, but my time was short. "Hey Rory, I could use some-what?"

Peeta turns and when his eyes lock with mine a look of confusion appears on his face. He talks a step forward and looks at me. Slowly he shakes his head and just smiles. Taking a deep breath he steps back and picks up the flower sack. I step out from behind the crate and stare at the two of them. My eyes go to Peeta, who's laughing and shaking his head a little. I hear his voice coming from the shop and I shake my head a little, making Peeta laugh a little harder.

"Do not tell him that I'm here. Please?" I stare at him and Peeta just laughs as he walks out of the storage closet, with his bag of flower. Rory follows him and shakes his head. "Please..."

"There you are! Have you seen Effie?" Haymitch's voice is loud and I shake my head a little. Just in case Peeta doesn't do what I want him to do I slowly walk towards the door. Holding my breath I think of how much longer this game will go on for and it makes me even more eager to keep it going. Maybe I could sneak out the back way...yes, that's what I'll do. "Well boy?"

Peeta must be smirking, because Haymitch sounds annoyed. "I haven't seen her for a while."

"Is she here?" The eagerness is clear in Haymitch's voice and I know that he's going to find out in a matter of time. Quickly I rush to the doorway and peek around the corner. Haymitch isn't in the back room, but I have a feeling that he will be soon. I run out of the room and towards the back door at the exact moment that Haymitch enters the room. "EFFIE!"

Pushing open the back door I jump down the steps and land in the dirt-yuck! Why didn't I put my shoes back on? Now I really need a manicure and a bath! Shaking my head I start to run through the backyard, with Haymitch close behind. He's snickering and yelling things about my feet. Anger washes through me and I start running even faster. The thought of what my feet must look like is unbearable! How can anyone possibly go barefoot? My poor feet! The pink nail polish is probably starting to chip off! I just did my nails yesterday, just my luck!

"Sweetheart, you can stop and wash your feet off if you want to!" taunts Haymitch, and he starts laughing. I start running even faster and he keeps laughing. Wordlessly I look back and see that he's not even running-that was my mistake. "Effie-watch out!"

When I look back ahead of me, I run into a large pole and am knocked back. I land on my back and see spots, my back hurts and I can't catch my breath. Staring up at the sky the blackness starts to eat away at my vision. Haymitch comes running up and kneels down beside me, his face is full of concern.

Haymitch's fingers touch my forehead as I start to loose consciousness. "Sweetheart?"

Haymitch POV:

How does someone run head first into a pole? This is just insanity! I start mumbling to myself as I pick her up in my arms. My minds racing and all that I can do is try to think about something else, not about how she's unconscious in my arms. As I carry her back to the bakery I look at her forehead, a bumps already forming and its starting to turn black and blue. Quickly I run into the bakery and see Peeta putting some cookies into the oven. There's a wide smile on his lips and he calls for Katniss, but the smile fades when he turns to me. His eyes go wide and he slowly walks over to me, his eyes stay on Effie. What will Katniss think? Oh goody, I don't have to wait long to find out because she can practically smell when I mess up, don't ask me how but she does.

"What happened to her?" Peeta's voice is light and he turns around to lead me down the hallway to the room next to the room that I had my first date with Effie in. When he turns on the light I see a medium sized bed up against the wall, with white sheets and a few chairs in the room. "This is where Acacia and Katniss come to take naps while I'm working. What happened to Effie?"

I lay her down on the bed and listen to Katniss's approaching footsteps. Rolling my eyes I sit down on one of the chairs and take one of Effie's hands in mine. "She ran into a pole..."

"Peeta? What are you-," Katniss cuts off mid-sentence as her eyes land on Effie and her eyes grow wide in shock. She stares from Effie to me, from me to Peeta and back again. The poor girl looks like she's about to fall over. "What's going on? Is Effie alright?"

"She'll be fine. Katniss, I need you to do something, okay?" Peeta walks over to her and takes her face in his hands. They stare at each other and Katniss's fingers dance across the skin on Peeta's hands. "You have to stay here and stay calm, okay? I'm going to get Prim or your mother. Just stay here, help take care of Effie and Rory can watch the bakery."

Peeta kisses Katniss once and rushes out of the room. Katniss looks over at me and sits down on one of the chairs next to me. I can feel her eyes on me as I run my fingers over Effie's skin. After a few minutes I look over at her and see that she's smiling and shaking her head a little. Why's she smiling? Effie's hurt and she thinks that its funny? Does this amuse her in some sick way?

"What are you smiling about?" I ask her and she just shakes her head a little. "Just spit it out, girl."

"Were you two playing some sort of game? I don't understand how she ran into a pole," says Katniss. She shakes her head a few more times and leaves the room, but she comes back a second later with a towel wrapped around some ice. I watch as she pushes her way past me and holds it to Effie's head. "What exactly were you two doing? Effie's not the kind of person to just run into a pole."

I just shrug, does it really matter anymore? "Will she be okay? Oh-hell! Why am I asking you? After all you are the girl who couldn't bare to see your future husband naked, or Finnick and Johanna naked either. Those two were strangers to you."

"Excuse me for being innocent. Not all of us are used to seeing everyone without clothes on," mutters Katniss. I smile a small smile and my eyes flicker back to Effie. "She'll be okay..."

"I'm going to hold you to your word." She nods her head and hands me the towel full of ice. Without another word she walks out of the room and I'm glad that she did. It seems like without me having to tell her what I wanted, she knew. Just like in the games-in a way. "You'll be fine, sweetheart. You'll be fine..."

I stare down at her and try to breath, but its hard. What if she's not going to be okay? Katniss isn't a good liar and I know that she's probably right, but what if she's not? She can be wrong too. Shaking my head a few times I try to get myself to forget it.

_She'll be fine!_

_How do you know? Look at her!_

_I know that she'll be okay! Sometimes you just know these things, damn it!_

_Oh, just like how you knew that it was better to let President Snow kill everyone that you loved? Just so that you wouldn't be doing what he wanted?_

"Haymitch?" I look up and meet a pair of blue eyes, the girls hair is pulled back in a braid and she smiles at me as she walks into the room. "Let me take a look at her. She'll be fine..."

_She thinks..._

**Done! WOOHOO! I won't be updating again until April 19th, I'm going on a long waited for Birthday/Senior trip. Sorry to cut off there, but it had to happen that way. Haha! So what did you think? :D Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D See you on the 19th! :D **


	26. Chapter 26: Another Chase Begins

**Hey everyone! WOOHOO! I'm backkkkk! Who missed me? Great news for anyone who did, its update time! :D I had a great time on my trip-but I'm happy to be back and to start writing again-I missed it sooooooo much and I love writing. Thank you to all of you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. :D Sorry for leaving the story off there, but here's more and I hope that all of you like it!**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**(Thank you to my BRILLIANT Beta Beth! Check out her stories, It-Was-Enchanting. *In The Harder They Fall I have two tributes Keela and Mark, if you want to you can sponsor them... ;) I wouldn't mind that at all. Haha! Check her out!***

Effie POV:

My head is throbbing. What just happened to me? I can't remember a thing. Should I be able to remember something? A small moan escapes from my lips as my eyes start to open, slowly and the light hurts. There's a small girl sitting beside me and her hand is in a bucket. Slowly she wrings the water out of the cloth and turns back to me, a smile appears on her lips when our eyes lock. Her eyes are a bright blue and her long blonde hair is tied back in a bride. The girl is young and beautiful. Who is she? Where am I?

I sit up, but the girl pushes me back down and fear starts to course through my veins. What's going on? Why won't she let me leave? My eyes are wide with fear and I'm sure that she can sense my fear. She leans back and stares at me, examining me from a distance. Her mouth opens slightly, but she doesn't utter a word. I can feel my heart pounding against my chest with each second that passes. Why is she staring at me like that? Have I done something wrong? Is something wrong with me? Who am I? What's my name?

"Effie, are you alright? You remember who I am, don't you?" asks the girl in a light voice. Frantically I shake my head and I see the concern in her eyes. She nods her head slowly and looks over at the door for a minute. My mind starts to race, should I know who this girl is? How could I? I've never seen her before in my life. "Do you remember anything? Where you are? How you got here? Do you remember...Haymitch?"

Haymitch? That's an odd name. Why should I remember someone named Haymitch? And who's Effie? The names sound so weird that they should get together, just by knowing that much. "Who are Effie and Haymitch? I don't know who they are and I don't know who you are. Who are you?"

"Calm down, calm down. You're Effie and Haymitch is...someone very close to you. You care about Haymitch, a lot and he cares about you too." The girl stares at me sadly for a minute and then she stands up. My eyes stay on her as she walks over to the door and opens it a crack. "Haymitch, can you come back in here for a minute? Please? I need your help with something..."

My eyes stay on the young girl as a man walks into the room. Our eyes lock and he smiles at me. He walks into the room and tries to take my hand in his, but I pull away. Who is he? What is he doing here? None of this is making any sense and my head is still throbbing. I stare from the man to the small girl, but I don't know them-either of them. Slowly I shake my head and wish that I hadn't, my head feels like its about to fall off.

"Effie, are you okay? It's me, Haymitch," says the man. I stare at him with wide eyes and I feel frightened. Effie? Is that my name? But I don't have much time to think about my name, because the man sits down on the edge of my bed. I push myself away from him and snuggle myself into the wall and I start shaking. Why can't they leave me alone? I don't know them. "Sweetheart-"

"GO AWAY!" I yell, making both of them jump. The little girl grabs onto the mans arm and tries to pull him out of the room, but he won't budge. His eyes are still on me and he reaches out to touch my arm. My arm feels tingly as he brushes his fingers down to my fingers. "Please...don't hurt me..."

"I would never hurt you. Will you look at me? Please?" Slowly I look over at him and I try to breath regularly, but I feel like its not working. His eyes are locked with mine and I try not to jerk away from him when he reaches out to touch me again. The feeling of his fingers on my skin is not how I imagined it would be, it feels as though his fingers are made of velvet. "Sweetheart, everything will be okay and I'll take care of you. Okay? Do you remember me at all? I'm Haymitch and I...I love you..."

My breathing stops as he leans in and kisses me on my forehead. He stands up and follows the girl out of the room, leaving me to think about what just happened. The man, he was so gentle and he told me that he loves me, or Effie-whoever that is. Am I really Effie? All of this is too confusing and I don't know how much more my mind can take. I feel like I'm being trapped and I need to get out.

Slowly I stand up and hear muffled voices out in the hallway. The young girl says something about giving me some time alone and _Haymitch_ starts to argue with her. Another voice joins in the mix and their footsteps are moving away from the room. I stand here for a minute trying to calm myself down and trying to wait until they are gone. The door opens slowly and I look out into the hallway. Taking a deep breath I dart out into the hallway and go towards the smell of bread, towards my freedom. I reach a room and see a door, which I run over to and open it. Without looking back I run out into the cool night air. I don't know where I'm going, but I know that I have to get away from here and now.

Haymitch POV:

Primrose makes me follow her outside. Why does she insist that I go outside? It looks like its about to start raining and the air is too cool. She smiles at me and I know that she's going to try to keep me away from Effie, which I wish her luck with. No ones keeping me away from that damn woman, especially not a little girl. She is a little girl, right? I mean, how old is she? Twelve? Fourteen? That's still young. Fine, fine, I'll _act_ like I'm playing by her rules, but first chance that I get I'm running into Effie's room and I won't leave her side.

"Fine, fine, sweetheart," I say in an annoyed voice. I throw my hands up in the air and shake my head. Her eyes stay on me and I know that she probably knows what I'm up to, but I'm hoping that I'm wrong. With a light chuckle I shake my head a few more times and say, "you are a lot like your sister in some ways. You're really pushy until you get your way. Of course, you must have learned from the best."

"If you go near that room you'll hear from the best," says Primrose, which makes me shake my head a little. She leads me back into the bakery and she makes me sit down in one of the chairs as she goes to talk to some boy with gray eyes. Oh right, that's one of those Hawthorne boys. Lots of trouble in my opinion. Never liked them much. "Can you watch him for a few minutes? I have to go check on Effie."

"Prim, I can't right now. In a few minutes?" asks the boy. I let out a chuckle, this boy is young and the girl already has him wrapped around her finger. Yeah, that boys already caught by her and by caught by her, I mean done for life. She bats her eyelashes at him, but he shakes his head a little. "Peeta needs me to be in the back-don't you remember that Katniss is back there right now?"

"She'll be fine. Please?" She bats her eye lashes again, but he shakes his head. When he leans into kiss her, she pulls away and shakes her head. "Nope..."

"Fine, I'll just see you later. Listen, I don't want to fight with you, okay? We've had small arguments before, but I don't want to have our first blown out fight here," he says to her in a light voice. "Just stay in here and I'll go back to check on Katniss. You can go see her in a few minut-"

"PRIM!" Everyone jumps when Katniss's shriek fills the air. We all run into the back and see Katniss come stumbling down the hallway, with baby Acacia in her arms. She looks afraid and like she's shaking. "Effie...she's...she's not...oh, just go look for yourself! I don't know what happened-"

But no ones listening to her. Prim and I race down the hallway towards the bedroom. I push the door open and see the empty bed. Horror courses through my veins and seconds later I'm running back down the hallway and into the backroom, trying to think of where she could have gone-where she could be. She couldn't have gone far-mostly after that hit to the head she took.

Katniss is standing by the window, looking out into the backyard. "It's raining out. We have to find her or else she might get lost-"

The backdoor! I run over to the backdoor and outside, ignoring all of the screams for me to come back. My only thought is to find Effie and I know that if I don't find her soon...

"EFFIE!" I yell, but I know that its useless. How can I expect someone who can't remember their own name to respond to me? She doesn't even remember me, will she ever? For a minute I feel my heartbreak, but I push that aside and only think of finding Effie. Over time she will remember and she will know that she loves me. I told her that I love her in front of Primrose, doesn't that show how much I love her? "EFFIE! COME BACK! PLEASE! REMEMBER ME!"

For a minute I stop running and lean over, trying to catch my breath. Internally I'm cussing at myself, yelling at myself and wondering why I had to fall in love with a woman who can run faster than me? Taking a deep breath I stand up straight and start running again. Where will she go? She's scared, but I don't know where she'd be and she doesn't even know where she is.

"Now would be a great time for her to be wearing that damn pink wig of hers," I mumble. Anger, pain, worry and horror are coursing through me as I run. If I don't find her soon I'll loose my mind-with loosing my mind I'll loose everything that I gained by choosing to open up to her. Without her...I might go back to my bottle. The pain of loosing her would be too... "Don't you dare think like that...don't you dare. You'll find her...you will find her..."

**Dun, dun, dun! :D What did you think? Tell me the truth-I can take it...or maybe not, haha! Sorry for this little twist, but it popped into my head and I had to use it. This will be FUNNNNN to type. Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D I'll see all of you soon!**


	27. Chapter 27: Sometimes You Have To Fall

**Hey everyone! Woohoo! It's update time! I hope that all of you like the story so far and that all of you like this new chapter. :D Thank you for reading, for all of the reviews and everything else. Well, here's the new chapter and I hope that everyone likes it! :D Haha! This story is too much fun for me to write!**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**(My Beta Beth did not Beta this chapter, so any mistakes are my fault. Hope that the studying is going good! :D Good luck!)**

**(I hurt my ankle :( , leave reviews? :D That would make me feel better.)**

Effie POV:

'Snap'. I look down and see that one of the heels on my shoe has broken off. Cursing, I bend down and take off the shoes. Who would ever wear these? They don't look or feel comfortable and they look deadly. But, they are a cute color, a light purple and there are little sparkles on them. Well, I guess that I can always fine more. I throw them against the wall of this building, just as the wind picks up and I shiver. The rain and wind make it harder for me to walk, mostly without my shoes. With a light sigh, I keep walking and I try to think of where to go, but I'm lost here. How can I be lost? Some how I got here, didn't I? None of this is making any sense.

"Effie! Effie!" I hear a woman's voice coming from my left side and I make the mistake of looking. Well, they did say that my name is Effie, didn't they? A girl with long blonde hair comes walking toward me and I have the urge to turn, to run away from her. She has a cold look to her, a fierce look, but for some reason I feel like she won't hurt me. "What happened to you? No shoes?"

"Who are you?" I ask her, my voice shakes a little and the girl cocks her head to the side, with an eyebrow raised. Her brown eyes are locked with mine and I try to back away from her, but she stops me. "What do you want with me? What do all of you-people want with me?"

"You have got to be kidding me! Effie, its me-Johanna," she says this with a small smile on her lips. I pull away from her, but she pulls me right back and I see the confusion in her eyes. _Johanna _studies my face and her jaw drops open. "You really don't know who I am? What happened to you?" She stares at me for a minute and sighs. The next thing that I know she's pulling me off and I'm trying to get away from her. "Calm down! I'm just trying to take you back to your place and we can get you into something warm. I'm going to kill Haymitch..."

"Who's Haymitch? What is he to me?" I ask her, as I try to pull away. _Johanna _just pulls me forward, shaking her head. Finally, I stop trying to get away from her and I realize that I'm never going to-not until she lets go of me at least. "Where am I? What the hell-"

The girl laughs and shakes her head a little. "Picking up cursing now, are we? Haymitch must really be rubbing off on you. Never thought that I'd see the day when Effie Trinket says the word hell. I must admit its pretty amusing-"

I try to pull away from her, but she opens a door and pushes me inside of a house. Turning around, I slam the door shut and lock it. She looks furious and I smile as I walk away. Looking around the room I wonder who lives here and who did such a great job decorating. This room is just so beautiful. Quietly, I walk around the house, hoping that whoever lives here is not home. What's this room? It's full of a lot of things, is that a...yes, its a cup and that's-

"Miss me?" I jump and look over at the window to see that girl sitting on the windowsill. She smiles at me and jumps into the house and lands on the floor, on her feet. _Johanna _stands up straight and crosses her arms over her chest, with a small smile on her lips. "I have to admit, I _never_thought that you had that in you and it was a good attempt. But...I am a Victor of The Hunger Games and it takes a hell of a lot more to keep me out."

"Please, don't hurt me! Don't hurt me!" I scream, making the girl stare at me in shock. Why is she still here? What does she want from me? "What do you want? No one will leave me alone and I don't know anything! I don't know where I am, what my name is-and why did you say Trinket? Is that someone's last name? To me it sounds like an odd last name-"

She takes a step toward me and I take a step back. Her eyes stay on me and she still looks confused. "Effie, you are Effie Trinket and you live here. You are in District Twelve and you are in love...I cannot believe that I'm saying this, but you are in love with Haymitch-"

"WHAT?" I screech and the girl stops. She stares at me and I shudder. Me, be in love with that, that thing? "You cannot be serious!"

"Oh, I'm just as shocked as you are. You know that you love him, so don't try to hide it." The girl smiles at me and I shake my head. "Did you hit your head or something? You seem really off today and normally you're on top of everything. Hm, maybe the whole dating Haymitch thing is starting to catch up with you."

"I am not dating that...that man." Shaking my head I walk over to the table and sit down. This girl has got to be joking or something. That man is clearly not my type-wait, what is my type? "This cannot be happening..."

Haymitch POV:

A fat rain drop slaps me hard in the face, but I don't care. Curse words are flying out of my mouth left and right, but I don't stop for a second. Effie, she's the only person who I'm thinking about right now and I'm kicking myself in the ass for all of this. I don't know if its the running or just getting involved with her that has everything so screwed up, but now I'm so far in that I can't just leave her-not even if she wanted me to. Damn, I hate being that one fool who falls in love and when I do fall in love, why does everything have to go so wrong? Shouldn't things be going right for me? After all this time and when I finally let go? Of course not!

I stop walking when I see that the lights are on at Effie's house. Great, my sweetheart must have found her way home and she'll have to listen to me now. Quickly, I run to her front door and look inside. There's no sign of her, but that doesn't mean that she's not home. Who helped her home? Someone had to, because my sweetheart was pretty woohoo the last time that I saw her.

Silently I open the door and walk inside. When I start thinking about where I should look first, I hear her voice and I walk towards the sound of her voice. Its odd how her voice has become one of the most beau-oh, hell! I sound like Peeta!This cannot be happening. I'm going all...soft.

"Hey, Haymitch," says Johanna. She smiles at me and waves. I like this girl, but by the way that she's smiling it makes me want to throw something at her. Her eyes go back to Effie, who is staring at me in shock. "Well...I guess that I'll leave you two lovebirds alone. No need to thank me for bringing her home."

She walks over to the window and winks at me, before she jumps out of the window. Effie's eyes stay on me as I walk toward her, but she stays where she is. I stare at her and try to read her as I get closer. Her eyes show fear in them and I don't want to scare her. When I reach the chair across from her I sit down and smile. Our eyes meet for a minute and she drops her gaze to the table.

"I'm glad that you made it home. Are you okay?" My voice is barely a whisper, but she hears me perfectly. She nods her head and I realize that she doesn't have shoes on. In fact, she's dripping wet. Slowly, I get up and her eyes grow wide. I offer her my hand. "Let's find you something nice and warm to wear. If you want me to...leave after that I will. Only after I make sure that you're okay though."

Effie takes a deep breath and takes my hand, which makes me smile. She stands up and nods her head a little. "Where's my room? Do I have anything that's not...so fitting? How can I wear these things?"

"You look good in that, sweetheart. I mean-you always look good and that's just your style." Did I just use the word style? Oh yeah, that sounds like me! Why don't I just get down on my hands and knees, kiss the ground that she walks on? "We'll get you in something, don't worry. Can you walk?"

She nods her head and I lead her back out into the sitting room, then up the stairs to her room. I walk into her closet and she stares at everything, with wide eyes. While she looks, I back up a little bit and wait until she finds something suitable. I have the urge to say something to her, but I don't. Before she starts to change I walk out of her closet and back into her bedroom.

"Haymitch?" Her voice makes me want to fall to my knees. The way that she says it just does something to me. I turn around and look at her. She's wearing a light green nightgown, that stops right above her knees, with a matching robe and slippers. Her eyes are wide and she walks over to me, cautiously. "You left...why? I thought that you would have...I mean-oh, never mind. I don't know what I'm trying to say!"

"Effie, I would never...do anything that you wouldn't want me to do." I stand up and walk to her bedroom door, but she stops me. Her hand is on mine and I look back at her. She looks like she's breathing hard and she doesn't know what to do. "Yes, sweetheart?"

"I um..." She brushes her hair behind her ear and takes a deep breath. Her eyes come back up to meet mine and I just stand here, waiting for her to talk to me. Begging for her to talk to me. "Will you...will you stay with me tonight? Please, Haymitch?"

I smile at her and nod my head. "Sure, sure...I'll stay with you."

**Hm...a little bit of a sweeter ending to this chapter, don't you think? :D Haha! This story is too much fun and I know all of you are probably like, I HATE YOU FOR DOING THAT TO THEM!, I'm soooooo sorry! This had to happen or the story wouldn't feel right. Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D**


	28. Chapter 28: If Only

**Hey everyone! Here's a new chapter and I hope that all of you like it! :D Thank you for reading, for all of the reviews and everything else. This chapter is a little more sad, but I hope that all of you like it. I hope that all of you like it, so maybe I should let you get to it...**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**(This chapter is un-Beta-ed, any mistakes are mine. :( Hi Beth! :D )**

Effie POV:

_Giggles escape from my mouth as I run around the backyard, young and carefree. Someone grabs me from behind and we fall to the ground, laughing. Marvin laughs as he rolls over and we lay here, staring up at the night sky. The stars are shining down on us,making everything even more beautiful. We smile at each other, but I know that this bliss won't be able to last for forever, it never does. Sighing I sit up and get up. Carefully, I smooth out my bright pink dress and check my light pink wig. I'm perfect, as always. _

"_I have to go, but I'll see you tomorrow." When I start to walk away, he stands up and runs over to me. He stops in front of me and smiles. We are friends, but he doesn't know everything about me-okay, he doesn't really know anything about me. He knows the fake Effie, the put together Effie. "What is it?"_

"You're eighteen Effie, don't you understand that? Why don't you stay out late with me one time?" He smiles at me and I know that he's right. Can't I ever just let go and be free? Of course not, that would mean that I would have to be vulnerable. "There's a party and you should come."

My smile falters for a second, but I regain my composure and he doesn't notice. Parties mean drinking, especially the big one. "I can't. My mother's sick..."

"_I thought that she was feeling better? That's what you told me yesterday," he scoffs. My gaze drops to the ground and I try to think of a way out of this whole mess. Telling everyone that my mom is sick only last for so long, my family is one of the wealthiest in the Capitol and we can afford the best doctors around. What else can I say? Anything but the truth. "Is something else going on? Come on, Effie..."_

_I just shake my head and walk away from him, not wanting to get him involved. This thing called my life is a nightmare and I hate it. Can't I ever escape it, even just for a day or two? No, as soon as I leave the house its only a few hours that I have until I'm back in that living hell. As I walk, I realize that I'm not smiling, so I put on the biggest smile that I can manage and act as though everything is perfect._

_When I walk into the house I am greeted by my mother, who is falling over and holding onto a large bottle. The bottle is almost empty, but I know what it is. Wine. It's her weakness and she can never get away from it. She falls to the floor and some of the wine spills out onto the floor._

"_Oh shit! My wine, my beautiful wine-Effie, go get me another bottle." Yep, this is my life and as usual I have to grin through it. I walk over to her and help her up, but she starts yelling slurs at me and she tries to pull away from me. "Get away from me! Get me my bottle and go to bed. Oh, there it is!"_

My mother picks up another bottle, that was laying on the floor, the light pink liquid pouring out onto the floor and she picks it up. Anger courses through me as I watch her take a large swing of it and she falls back to the floor. She starts laughing, which makes me want to start screaming and crying. But no tears come.

_My living hell...this is my life. Day in and day out. Nothing will ever change and I've accepted that. That is until I open the letter, the letter answering all of my hopes and dreams. I will be getting out of here and I'll be going to a district every year. Thank you...now if only I could get into District One or something..._

_If only..._

Haymitch POV:

I stare at her, as she thrashes in her sleep and mumbles. What can I do to help her? Wake her? No, that would probably make things worse. She starts to cry and I almost break, I almost wake her up. A few minutes ago I tried to and I'm thinking about trying again.

"Please, stop!" mutters Effie and tears fall down her face as she pushes herself off of the bed. I pull her back down, back against me. She cries harder and I try to sooth her by stroking her cheeks. "I'm all alone! Why am I always all alone? Please..."

"Sweetheart? Please wake up...Effie, I'm here...I'm here." I hold her tightly to me and wish that I could see her smile. What could be this bad to make her cry like this? Am I the only person who has seen her cry like this before? "Effie, wake up. Wake up...I can get the geeses if you want."

She flips over and curls into a ball, surprising me. I stare at her as she continues to sob and I wish that there was a way for me to help her. My sweetheart. "Please, put the bottle down. For me? Don't you love me? This cannot be happening-this cannot be happening."

My eyes stay on her and I sit up, trying to think of what is happening. Does she see me with a bottle? I haven't had a bottle in who knows how long, does she still think that I'm going to fuck up? I reach out to her and give her a light shake. Effie jumps up and looks around, startled. Her eyes land on me and I watch as more tears fall. She shakes her head and continues to sob. Slowly, I reach out to her and pull her close to me. To my surprise, she stays there and cries until she's out of breath.

"What's wrong? Sweetheart, please tell me?" I stare into her eyes and she shrugs. Effie's eyes stay on me as she tries to piece the whole thing together and I realize that what ever has her so upset must be from the past. "Can you tell me what it is? Please?"

"She broke her promise...she, she drank again. Why would she do that? Doesn't she love me?" Effie starts crying again and curls in on herself. My heart breaks as I listen to her and as I watch the tears fall down her cheeks. I didn't hurt her, that means a lot to me. "My...my mother, she was an...alcoholic. Oh no! You weren't supposed to know about that! Shit! How could I do that?"

"You told me before. Calm down," I say to her in a calm voice. I take her hands in mine and make her look me in the eyes, willing her to trust me. "Effie, I will take care of you and I love you, okay? Hell, you're the only woman that I have ever said I love you to."

Her eyes grow wide and she slowly nods her head. She lays back down and puts her head on my chest. I lay here, trying to decide how to react, how I won't scare her. She's having a hard time right now and the last thing that I want is to upset her. My arms wrap around her and I hold her tightly to me. Without thinking, I lean down and kiss her on the top of her head. Effie lets out a light sigh and drifts off to sleep, leaving me here to think and worry about her.

"Well, you got yourself into a fine mess, Haymitch. You fell in love with a girl who has nightmares too, but about her own personal hell," I mutter to myself. How can all of this be happening? Doesn't it seem like we wouldn't be good together? That we would hurt each other? "Maybe she needs to see that someone can quit and that she was not to blame for everything. Shut up Haymitch, you sound like an insane person."

_You are an insane person._

_Does that matter right now?_

I sigh and lay back against the pillow, thinking that maybe I should try sleeping. But how can I sleep right now or at all? Effie needs me and what if she has another nightmare? She was thrashing horribly and mumbling. Can I take the pain away from her? After the Hunger Games, I still wish that I could. I wish that I could take all of those horrible memories away from her and leave only the happy ones.

If only...

**This chapter was shorter, sorry about that! :( But I hope that you liked it. Effie is getting her memories back slowly, but I promise that the next chapter will be even better. I hope that you liked it! :D Thank you for reading and please leave a review. (Hopefully the next chapter is a bit longer, but I hope that all of you like it! :D )**

**Questions:**

**How far into their relationship do you think this story should go?**

**Favorite Effie and Haymitch moment so far?**

**Something that you would like to see?**

**Effie or Haymitch?**

**Did you ever think about Effie and Haymitch getting together, before reading this story or did you think that I was insane for this idea?**

**Do you think that I'm still insane? (Haha!) :D **


	29. Chapter 29: Rain Drops

**Hey everyone! WOOHOO! UPDATE TIME! :D Thank you all of you for all of the support and for reading this story! I love this story, Effie and Haymitch and all of you are AWESOME! :D This story is so much fun to write and I love giving the two of them deeper stories. :D I hope that all of you like it and I'll let you get to the new chapter, if you are ready...**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**(This chapter is un-Beta-ed, any mistakes are mine. Hi Beth! :D Hope that your revising is going well!)**

Effie POV:

My eyes open and I let out a light groan. I sit up and look around the room, which is a huge mess. What could have happened last night to do all of this damage? Shaking my head a little I get out of bed and look back, noticing that someone was next to me. Haymitch lays there, oblivious to everything and everyone. I can't help but smile a little as I stare at him and slowly things start to come back to me. Slowly I walk back over to the bed and sit down, trying to remember what happened. If I can remember that, shouldn't I be able to remember everything else? Taking a deep breath, I shut my eyes and try to remember...anything...remember...

_Pushing open the back door I jump down the steps and land in the dirt-yuck! Why didn't I put my shoes back on? Now I really need a manicure and a bath! Shaking my head I start to run through the backyard, with Haymitch close behind. He's snickering and yelling things about my feet. Anger washes through me and I start running even faster. The thought of what my feet must look like is unbearable! How can anyone possibly go barefoot? My poor feet! The pink nail polish is probably starting to chip off! I just did my nails yesterday, just my luck!_

_"Sweetheart, you can stop and wash your feet off if you want to!" taunts Haymitch, and he starts laughing. I start running even faster and he keeps laughing. Wordlessly I look back and see that he's not even running-that was my mistake. "Effie-watch out!"_

_When I look back ahead of me, I run into a large pole and am knocked back. I land on my back and see spots, my back hurts and I can't catch my breath. Staring up at the sky the blackness starts to eat away at my vision. Haymitch comes running up and kneels down beside me, his face is full of concern._

_Haymitch's fingers touch my forehead as I start to loose consciousness. "Sweetheart?"_

My breath catches and my eyes snap open. That's what happened, I ran into a pole...who runs into a pole? Oh, I can't even look at myself anymore! How can I run into a pole? Me, Effie Trinket who can run in heels, ran into a pole! That is just insanity and it shouldn't have happened. I look back down at Haymitch, who's still sleeping and I can't help but smile. He's been here with me through it all.

I keep my eyes on him as I reach out to touch him. He moves a little and I can't help but smile, because he's here, he's really here. Yawning, I get out of bed and stretch. Maybe I should go eat something and get some tea. As quietly as I can I walk over to the door and out into the hallway, trying not to wake Haymitch. Once I'm downstairs I get out a tea pot, put some hot water in it and smile when I see that Hazelle has already made me some. Shaking my head I smile as I pour some tea into a cup and walk into the dinning room.

"Today will be better, it has to be. My memory is back," I whisper to myself. I take a small sip of my tea and smile a little. Just how I've always liked it, just perfect. Carefully, I feel my forehead and I squint a little. It's still a little tender, but there's no bump. "Good...good..."

I shut my eyes a little and just relax, trying to bask in the moment of remembering. How stupid I must have looked after I ran into that pole! Who runs into a pole? Looking down at my feet I notice that I'm not wearing shoes or slippers, where are my shoes? Shaking my head I just shrug it off and try to focus on everything else. The weather looks horrible outside, icy cold rain hits the windows.

"EFFIE! EFFIE! DAMN THAT WOMAN!" I jump when I hear Haymitch yelling and I hear his footsteps coming down the stairs. My muscles are tight and I don't move, as he runs around the corner and he comes face to face with me. "You're in here-I thought...I thought...SHIT!"

A giggle escapes from my lips and I can't stop myself. The giggles turn into hysterical laughter, with Haymitch staring at me as thought I've lost my mind. He walks over to me and I see the look in his eyes, the shock and curiosity. When his face is close to mine, I lean forward and press my lips to his. I let out a light sigh when out lips touch and I wrap my arms around his neck, holding myself to him. His arms wrap around me and I push myself even closer to him, needing to be next to him.

"Are you okay?" asks Haymitch, breathlessly. I nod my head and press my lips to his again, loving the feeling the feel of his lips against mine. A shiver runs down my spine when his fingers brush against my cheek and I let out a small sigh. "Effie? Is something wrong?"

I smile at him and shake my head. "Everything's fine and...sweethearts back..."

Haymitch stares at me with an odd expression on his face, but he smiles at me a few minutes later and I can't help but smile. He's my Haymitch and I'm his sweetheart.

Haymitch POV:

She sips on her tea and I can't help but smile. Damn, my girl is back and I still feel a little on edge. After that I saw how easy it is to loose her and I never want to loose her. Why does everything have to get so complicated? Just a few years ago I was District Twelve's alcoholic victor and now I'm a sober, idiotic man who's in love. How could a woman like her ever fall in love with a man like me? I guess that there are such things as miracles. Took long enough for one to find the two of us.

"You can say something...if you want too, if not its fine." Effie seems nervous and I don't know why. She's probably just shaken because of everything that has happened, yeah that has to be it. We stare at each other for a minute and she drops her gaze to the table. With a sigh, I reach my hand out to take her's and she looks up at me when our fingers are touching. "Haymitch?"

I shake my head a little and curse myself for not being that good with words. Every so often I have my moments, but hell I'm not good at this stuff. "Effie...I don't really know what to say, except for that I'm happy that you've got your memory back and to NEVER do that to me again."

"This was all my choice? Is that the way that this is?" Effie asks me in an amused tone. Now she decides to get a sense of humor? Just my luck! "Lighten up! I'm fine, I'm here and I lo...we are together. You stayed with me through this and that means a lot. We can make it through anything together."

"What were you going to say?" I cock my head to the side and she picks up her cup. My smile grows wider as I watch the blush creep into her cheeks. "Effie? You're here and you what?"

She shakes her head a little and keeps her gaze on the table, but I need to hear what she was going to say. What she was about to say has me hanging onto every word that slips out of that mouth of her's. Those three words are the same words that I want to say to her. "It's nothing, really. I'll be right back, I have to change."

"Don't try to tempt me with that and just tell me what you were going to say. You know that you can easily distract me by saying that," I growl. She stares at me and I see the panic in her eyes. Is she really afraid to say those words to me? "Why are you so afraid?"

"You don't understand and I would never expect you to." Her voice is light, but it has a small dose of coldness to it. We glare at each other and she sighs. "The last person who I said that to hurt me and in ways that you could never imagine. I can't even say that to my own family, Haymitch!"

I slam my fist down on the table and she flinches. "Do you think that know nothing of disappointment? Of loss? Heartbreak? Do you really think that?"

She looks down and I see the tears swelling up in her eyes. This woman really is going to be the death of me! I'm ready to say those words to her, but she's not? The next thing that I know I'm on my feet and walking towards the door, to head back to my house, before I say anything that I might regret.

"No! Haymitch, please...please don't go!" She runs after me and I don't stop until I'm outside, in the pouring rain. We stare at each other and I watch as the tears roll down her cheeks. The rain hits her as she runs out of her house and to me. Effie stops a few inches away from me and I can feel the heat coming off of her body. "I...I need you to stay. P-p-ple-ase stay with me?"

I put a little bit of distance between us, leaving her closer to the house and me closer to my house. We stare at each other and I watch her weep, it kills me not to run over to her, not to comfort her. "Why should I stay?"

"Because...because..." She starts crying even harder and I shake my head. Effie takes a deep breath and yells, "BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, YOU IDIOT!"

Without thinking twice I run over to her and kiss her. My arms wrap around her and her arms wrap around me. For a few minutes we stand here, lost in the kiss, but when we break apart she stares at me in shock. I smile at her and brush her wet hair out of her face.

"I love you too, sweetheart." She smiles at me and I press my lips to her forehead. Then I remember that it must still be tender, when she squirms in my arms. "Sorry..."

She looks up at me and smiles. "Don't be."

**Done! Okay, I don't know how to categorize this chapter. :D Hopefully all of you liked it! Thank you for reading and please leave a review! **


	30. Chapter 30: Loosing and Finding

**Hey everyone! It's update time in KelsNicole land! Haha! :D This chapter was a lot of fun to write and it took me a while, but it was worth it. I really love this chapter, well...Haymitch's POV has something in it which will probably have some of you going, AWEEE! Haha! I really hope so at least. Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else.**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**(This chapter is un-Beta-ed, any mistakes are mine. Hi BETH! :D )**

Effie POV:

My heels click against the pavement as I walk out of my house and I smile as the sun shines down on me. I look down at my bright yellow skirt and yellow shirt, with a little jacket over it. Walking into town, people stare at me and I smile at them. They must be wondering where I got my outfit from, well, I think anyone would. All of my clothes and shoes are prized possessions. I don't think that I could live without them, they all mean something to me and I got them at some of the best moments in my life. For example, the heels that I'm wearing right now are five inches high, a bright yellow, with sparkles. I got these when I first got my job to be the escort for District Twelve. The job I was happy about, just not the District and now? I'm glad that I got the job and District Twelve. District One was always the District that I wanted to get into.

I smile as I walk into the bakery, where Katniss is the first person that I see. She's sitting by the counter, a small bump is forming on her stomach and I can't help but wish it was me. Don't even think about it, well not right now. Thing's have to go back to normal, Haymitch has to propose, we have to get married and then there can be a baby for me. Katniss is picking at something, a piece of bread with a little bit of cheese melted on top? She looks up and smiles when she sees me. Katniss walks over to me and stares at me for a second and I smile.

"I'm guessing that you have your memory back? Am I right?" Slowly, I nod my head and Katniss shakes her's a few times. We stare at each other and start laughing. I don't know why we are laughing, but it feels right and I don't know when the last time that I laughed like this was. "It's great to have you back. What are you doing out here? Looking for Haymitch?"

"No, he's doing something today-I really didn't understand it. What are you doing?" She smiles as she takes another bite out of the bread. I inhale the scent of the melted cheese and my mouth begins to water. "Mmmm, that smells good. Did Peeta make that for you or did you steal it from a customer?"

"A little bit of both," she says in a happy voice. We both look up when Peeta comes walking out of the back, he looks surprised when he sees me and puts down freshly frosted cupcakes. Katniss reaches over and takes one, that has a bright yellow flower in the middle. "Yum, you really are a great cook. I'm so glad that I married you and when you get me pregnant...it means that I can get anything that I want."

Peeta shakes his head and hands me one. "That one _was_for Prim. Look at her, she doesn't even feel bad that she is eating her sister's cupcake!"

"You're making another batch. Just paint another yellow one on and you're good to go," says Katniss, her mouth full of chewed up cupcake and frosting. My face scrunches up in disgust, that is one thing that I cannot get over. This young woman has no manners what so ever when it comes to food! "What's wrong? Effie?"

"Nothing, I'm thinking that I might go find Haymitch. You two can have some fun," I say and I turn away, but Katniss lets out a light breath, making me turn back around to face her. The two of them look down and I'm confused on what's going on. "What? Do you know where Haymitch went?"

Katniss is a horrible actress to begin with and she looks down, trying to avoid my gaze. "No...I know nothing. Haymitch might be out with Gale and Rory."

"You're a horrible liar. Where is he?" I walk over to her and Peeta picks up a cupcake, shoving it into her mouth. She glares at him and he just smiles. When I get right in front of her, I put my hands on my hips and stare at her. Katniss doesn't try to wipe the frosting off of his face or swallow the cupcake. "What's going on? Haymitch left me early this morning and said that he would see me around dinner time. You know something...tell me?"

"He said something about..." Katniss gets cut off when Peeta kisses her, full on the mouth. She kisses him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. They are breathing heavily when they break apart, both of them have frosting on their faces and Peeta has a smile on his lips. "Ring..."

"Ring? Like a ring?" I stare at her, my eyes go wide as I think about what this could mean. Haymitch could be looking for a ring...a ring for me? But Peeta doesn't let her say anything, he grabs her and presses his lips to hers. "Fine, I get the hint. You two have fun and I'll find out what's going on..."

I walk outside and I head back towards Victors Village. When I look at Haymitch's house, I stop and smile a small smile. Looking down at my hand, I imagine a ring on my left hand...a ring that Haymitch put there...

Haymitch POV:

Damn, my legs and back hurt. Why did I think it would be a good idea to head to the Capitol? Oh right, because two nights Effie was all upset and talking about a ring that her father gave to her mother, which was sold by her brother-so they could buy more alcohol. I don't know why I'm going to the Capitol or what I'm planning on doing when I get there, but I'm hoping that I can find the ring. Closing my eyes I sit back and think about the look on Effie's face if I return to her with the ring. I think back to the night that Effie told me about the ring, what it looked like and how long ago it was sold. Sighing, I pull a piece of paper out of my pocket and look at the drawing that Peeta made for me-after I walked into his house at three in the morning, dragged him out of his bed and got little Aca hyped up-okay, the last part was fully for my enjoyment and Katniss's annoyance.

"_My brother sold the ring that my father gave to my mother, he gave her the ring when I was born. It was one of the only things that he ever gave to my mom, okay, that's not true. He gave her anything that she wanted and stopped when she just took everything, not bothering to make anything mean anything," said Effie, in a sad voice. She looked at me, with sad eyes and shook her head a little. "After my father left us, my mother was upset and my brother started selling things-to pay for everything. Of course, a few months later he stumbled down the same road that my mother did and that's when he took her ring. He bought the two of them...a lot of alcohol with it and my mother never noticed that it was gone, well...until the day before I left for the first day of my job as an escort. She yelled at me, vile and unforgivable things. Every word that slipped out of her mouth suggested that I stole the ring and that I was a horrible person. I wish that I had stolen the ring, at least then I would have it and my brother wouldn't have had enough money to keep giving into their weakness, feeding the addiction."_

"What did the ring look like?" She looked at me, like she was surprised that I was there. I wrap my arms around her, to try to comfort her and she just shrugs. "Sweetheart, you can tell me what the ring looked like. I'm sure that you remember and it might help you."

"How can it help me? Someone bought it from that terrible boy who's blood runs through my veins." Effie looks down for a minute and a small smile forms on her lips. "The band was gold, there was one large opal in the middle, with two medium sized blue topaz's on both sides of the opal and tiny diamonds that went around them, in a . ..triangle-type fashion, but there was space between the diamonds and the two topaz's."

After that its obvious what happened, she drifted off to sleep and I left, after she fell asleep. Peeta drew the ring and here I am now, sitting on a train heading to the Capitol. Here, the search starts for me, to find this ring for her. Maybe if she has the ring it will help her in a way. Maybe I should have told her what I was doing...

"Haymitch?" The voice shocks me and I almost jump up out of my chair. A man smiles at me and I know who it is before I see him. "What are you doing on a train?"

"Beetee," I say with a chuckle. He sits down in the chair next to me and we smile at each other. Some how he escaped Katniss and hasn't had the displeasure of running into her again. "What are you doing on a train? Isn't that the answer that everyone should be seeking?"

He chuckles and shakes his head a little. "I'm just going into the Capitol to help make sure that everything's secure and that everything's running smoothly. What about you? Haymitch Abernathy is on a train, going to the Capitol. See? That's the answer that everyone will want to hear."

"I'm looking for something..." He stares at me and waits for me to go on. Sighing, I show him the piece of paper and he raises an eyebrow. Oh, just what I wanted! To have to explain this whole thing to someone! "Effie Trinket's mom owned that ring and it was sold. I want to find it for her..."

"Effie Trinket? That woman with the pink and gold wigs?" He chuckles when I nod my head and looks back down at the drawing. "Have you fallen for her or something? Because the Haymitch that I knew would never go to the Capitol looking for a ring like this, for just anyone."

I look down and he starts laughing. Of course, only a love stricken fool would go on a quest like this. Sighing, I look back up at him and he just shakes his head a few times. Yep, to him I'm a fool, who will never find this ring. Maybe I never will, but I'm going to try for her.

"Need some help?" I look up at him in shock and nod my head. "It's not impossible to find..."

**Awww! Isn't Haymitch sweet? What did you think? I hope that all of you like it! Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D If you want to see the ring its on Fred Meyer's jewelry website (I have the ring, it was my 18th birthday gift. My mom wanted to buy me a ring that was my birthstone and I ended up falling in love with an opal, which is for October. :D ) **


	31. Chapter 31: Everything Ties Together

**Hey everyone! WOOHOO! Welcome to the world of Effie & Haymitch, where its update time! :D Who's ready for an update? What? No one? :( Aww, but its a really good update! Haha! Okay, thank you for reading for all of the reviews and everything else!**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**(I'm in a really, really, really good mood and odd one at the same time-so I hope that all of you like the new chapter or dare I say...love it? :D Haha! Okay, I'll let you get to the new chapter. Enjoy!)**

**(This chapter is un-Beta-ed)**

**(Hi to It-Was-Enchanting and Mockingjay272! They are both AMAZING writers, so check them out! :D )**

Effie POV:

After two days, doesn't it seem like that man would call me? What happened to him? Did he just disappear? A puff of smoke? Poof! Haymitch is gone! How could he just disappear like this? He better have a good reason for all of this. Couldn't he have at least told me that he wouldn't be here? Why didn't he? I just got my memory back and he thinks that its a good idea to just leave me? What is he thinking? He knows how I feel about him and he didn't think about me at all. Unless...something went wrong. Oh, he better be okay or else I'll kill him!

"Calm down Effie...calm down. He's fine, he has to be fine," I mumble under my breath. The only sound that I can hear is the clicking of my heels as I step onto the train. My suitcase gets caught in the door and I start kicking it, like it will do me any good. Finally, I get it in the train and I look down at my ticket. With a sigh, I walk around looking for number two, why couldn't it have been one? One is fair better than two. Shaking my head I walk down the hallway and find my compartment. "Bed looks nice..."

I got Katniss alone for a whole minute to find out that Haymitch is in the Capitol, but when I was about to find out why Peeta had to come in. Obviously I have no idea what he's doing there, but I do know that I need to see him and know that he's okay. Taking a deep breath I shut the door behind me, go over to the dresser and start to settle in. Now it only takes two nights to get to the Capitol, which isn't really that long-but it feels like it will take forever. This stupid train took me a day to book and its the only one going out of District Twelve to the Capitol for two days, which is just lovely.

My clothes are neatly put away, making me feel a little better and I decide that I'll be going to bed a little earlier tonight. The earlier that I go to bed, the sooner I'll be able to see him and it will take some of the time away. I look around my room, feeling pleased that everything is in its place-everything must have its place. What to do now? What to do now? I look around the room, hoping to find something out of place, but there's nothing and its driving me insane. Ever since Haymitch and I started seeing each other, there has _always_ been something out of place.

Sighing, I decide that I should go get something to eat and I feel the train start to pull out of the station. I look out into the hallway and see a few people holding onto the walls to steady themselves. A small smile forms on my lips as I walk past them, giving them a bright smile and wave. Thank you all of my experience with train rides from the Hunger Games, really, these people are wearing flat shoes and can't stay up? How sad is that?

"Effie Trinket." The voice comes from behind me and I turn towards the voice that I've known for so long, the voice of my old best friend. Standing in front of me is an older version of him, his hair is a snowy blonde and his striking green gemstone eyes meet mine. "You remember me don't you? It will make me feel embarrassed if you don't."

"Melvin, how could I ever forget you? It's nice to see you again," I say with a small smile. He takes a step forward and pulls me to him, his arms wrap around me. My eyes dart around and I try to keep myself calm, but its not working too well. He lets go of me and smiles at me. "How have you been? It's been too long since we last saw each other. Is that a wedding ring that I see?"

He looks down at the ring and shakes his head a few times. "I've been pretty good and the Capitol was pretty good to me for a long time. Nope, I'm not married-so if you ever want to take me up on that offer its still open. You know what I'm saying, Effie?" Melvin winks at me and I feel uncomfortable, this man who I used to know I don't know anymore. "How have you been since you left the good ol' Capitol? I know that we both had jobs dealing with the Hunger Games, one of us more directly involved with the _actual_ games."

"I've been pretty good, thank you for asking. Actually, I've been seeing someone for the last few months and things are going great with us," I say this in my old chirpy voice. Oh, I haven't used this voice for too long and its starting to give me the same old headache that I used to get when I started talking in this voice. "You were good at your job. A Gamemaker, am I correct? Don't you realize that you should be held responsible for all of the deaths that came out of that thing? How many people you drove insane?"

"What happened to you? You used to agree with me about the games, don't you remember? Being what we were is what got us this far and its a part of us. Effie, you drew the tributes names and helped serve them up on time to the Capitol." He smiles at me as his words sink in and hit me hard. I watch him as he takes a sip of his liquor. "I'm proud of who I am and what I've done. Aren't you? You're Effie Trinket, the woman who chose two tributes fates and you know that you helped with this whole thing too. Don't act as though I'm wrong, we both know that I'm not."

I watch him as he stumbles away, leaving me alone to think about what he said. He's right, I was involved with this whole thing too, but the difference? I didn't like it and I've learned from my mistakes. That was my escape, the only way to get away from my family and to start a new life. He took up that life for one reason and one reason only, it was his entertainment. Watching those children die year after year, amused him and he loved it. We have always been different and always will be. I am not the Effie who he thought that he knew, he never knew me and he never will.

Haymitch POV:

This damn place is going to drive me insane! Why can't the stupid ring just appear in front of me? I've been here for two days and haven't found it yet. Beetee has been looking into a few things, trying to trace it and I hope that I can get it back for Effie. When I saw the tears rolling down her cheeks I knew how much that ring means to her and I want to give it back to her. My eyes shut for a minute as I think about all of the places that we've looked, all of them claiming that they've never seen the ring before and shaking their heads. I don't understand how one ring can be this rare. This ring had to of been custom made or something.

"Haymitch, we have a little bit of a lead on the ring. A woman claims that her mother bought the ring from a young boy one early morning and that the ring was in her mother's possession until the day that she died," says Beetee. I nod my head and grumble a little, thinking about getting a bottle-now that might help me with my quest. Never have I failed when I was drunk. "Her mother was killed, because she refused to give the ring to the President's granddaughter. So, from what I believe Amilina Katherina Snow has the ring. Haymitch, did you hear me? We might have found the ring!"

"We've gotten our hopes up how many times already? Let's just stay calm until we find her and then we can see what happens." I stand up, my legs ache and I scratch my head as I follow Beetee, he leads me to the shopping part of the Capitol, only the richest people can afford to buy from around here. "Amilina Snow is a brat and she won't give me the ring, so do you have a plan? She's not the brightest girl, but I think that if we just take the ring-she'd notice."

Beetee stops walking and shakes his head a few times. "I heard from someone that she's not rich anymore, she's poor and she'll take just about any amount of money that you offer her-no questions asked. She might be a brat, but now she's a brat who's trying to survive. Amilina is a lot like her grandfather, but I think that we might be able to convince her to trade us something for the ring."

"What might that be?" I cock an eyebrow as he starts to walk again. My gaze drops to the ground and I shake my head a few times. "Surly a girl like her could get what she wants another way and she has always had connections. Do you know something that I don't know?"

"I thought that you'd never ask that." We turn down a narrow alley and stop in front of a old jewelry store called _Amilina's Perfect Touch_, which makes me shudder. How could anyone related to that monster have a perfect touch? "Her mother and father left her after Snow's fall. As soon as they knew that the rebels were going to win, they ran and left their daughter behind."

I stare at him and smile. "She wants to find them?"

"Of course she does! Why wouldn't she?" He smiles at me and both of us look back at the building. "This used to be one of the better parts of the Capitol, but this small part is more run down. Do you want to go in alone or do you want me to go in too?"

"I'll go in first and if I don't come out in five minutes come in after me. Maybe, she'll be more like her grandfather then anyone would imagine," I say, shaking my head a little. "Or maybe she's actually a decent human, okay, that's really hoping for too much, isn't it?"

He shakes his head a little. "No, some people can surprise you. There can be more to them, but sometimes there's not and we'll deal with this if she won't sell it to you. Be careful, I heard that she killed her ex-boyfriend with poison when he broke up with her."

I think about Effie, my sweetheart and about how much that ring means to her. Taking a deep breath I step forward and place my hand on the doorknob. With one last look at Beetee I walk into the shop. My eyes narrow as I look at the walls, which are a bright yellow, with little pink dots all around the room. The display cases are up against the wall, with a small section in the center-the better ones.

"Can I help you?" I turn and see a young woman with long midnight black hair and bright green eyes, like a cats. She walks toward me and I see her dress. A long green dress, that compliments her eyes, the neckline is a v-neck, that shows off way too much and has little diamonds right under the bust line. "Are you looking for anything in particular?"

I smile at her, the best smile that I can and nod my head. "You must be Amilina, am I correct? I'm looking for a ring that you got from a...Mrs. Lucille Walker?"

Her eyes widen and she gives a slight nod of her head. I watch as she holds up her left hand and sitting on her middle finger is the ring that Effie described to me, the perfect ring. "What do you want with it?"

"To give it to the woman who's mother owned it first. She wants it more than anything," I say in a light voice, trying to sound calm. "That's the only good thing that's ever happened to her-she loves the ring more than her own life. Is there any way that I could buy it from you?"

Her lips curl up into an unpleasant, evil smile. She shakes her head and sighs. "I don't think that's going to happen..."

**DUN, DUN, DUN! :D Haha! Okay, that chapter was A LOT of fun with that chapter. Melvin appeared in an earlier chapter and I thought that it would be fun if he showed up, only a few chapters ago. :D Will Haymitch get the ring for Effie? Dun, dun, dun! :D Find out next week-when Effie & Haymitch continues! Haha, okay I don't know why I put that but it sounded funny in my mind-which sounds stupid-but oh well! :D I hope that all of you liked the chapter! Thank you for reading and please leave a review! **


	32. Chapter 32: Are The Odds In Our Favor?

**Hey everyone! Haha, I had too much fun with this chapter-so I don't know if you should be afraid or not, nah, you shouldn't be. :D Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. Hopefully all of you like the story so far, because I'm having a blast writing it and seeing what happens. I promise that you'll see what happens with Haymitch and Amilina. Okay, great news-I'm going to let you get to the new chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**(Check out It-Was-Enchanting and Mockingjay272, both of them are amazing! :D You won't regret it!) **

Effie POV:

My old smile forms on my lips, as Melvin sits down beside me and I try to eat as quickly as possible. I could eat faster if I did not care about my table manners, but it still upsets my digestive system. He smiles at me as he pours himself a glass of wine, moving the bottle towards my empty glass and I give him a slight shake of my head. When he puts the bottle down, he starts to shake his head and I focus on my salad, which barely has a dent in it. Slowly, I pick up my spoon and start on my soup, feeling his eyes on me as I do so. The way that he's staring at me, so intently is making me nervous and makes me want to run from the room. Why does he have to be on this train? Couldn't he have stayed in the Capitol or something? The Capitol made more sense for him, not that it didn't for me...but I'm happy where I am now, with Haymitch-the man who just ran off _without_ telling me and who I will make sure is under better watch from now on.

"Effie, what do you say about the two of us getting a little wine in our systems? Hm?" whispers Melvin, making my skin crawl. I feel his hot breath on my cheek and neck, making me want to slap him. My eyes move onto him and I watch as he pours me a glass, holding it out to me. "Come on, for the good ol' times? We had a lot of fun back then, before you became Effie, the escort of the District Twelve tributes. I could have gotten you a better District, all that you would have done is ask and grace me with your presence."

"And with something else too? No thank you, I don't drink and will never drink again. It causes too many bad things to happen and things are going fine now," I say in a strong voice and I focus on my soup, trying to ignore him. He starts to slurp his wine down and makes these disgusting noises. Why can't he just disappear? "I want nothing to do with any of that and I would appreciate it if you just left me alone. Melvin, I have known you for long enough to know that you're up to no good and I don't want to be involved with anything that you do."

He gives me a sad look and a sly smile forms on his lips, making me shake my head. Now the cockiness is going to come and that isn't his most flattering feature. "I want to do good things with you, if they were no good I wouldn't be by you right now, would I? We were always good together, you cannot deny that. Two people, who are meant to be together and brought back together now. It's a sign, honey."

"I can give you a few signs," I mumble under my breath, as I pick up my glass of water. Silently I stand up and decide that I should go to bed early, just so that I can ignore him. He smiles at me and I stare into his eyes for a second. "Well, I guess that I'm going to go to bed. Looks like this will be our good-bye-"

"That's a hint, isn't it? Looks like I'll be going to bed too." He winks at me and I stare at him in shock. Shaking my head, I roll my eyes and turn away from him. I need to be as far away from him as possible and if that means that I have to ride with the baggage-that's fine by me...not ideal, though. "Wait up, sweetheart! I'm coming! Effie, oh, I'll meet you at your room-that's fine."

I run down the hallway and to my room, slamming the door behind me. Taking a deep breath I lock the door and allow myself to fall against the door, hoping that Haymitch is okay. A loud knock makes me jump away from the door and I stare at it as though it is a foreign object. He knocks again and I back away from the door, anger taking me over. Shaking my head, I walk over to my bed and pick up a nightgown that I kept out for me to wear tonight. Might as well take a bath and get to sleep, by then...he should be gone.

My bath is a peaceful one and I smile as I pull my long hair back into a ponytail. Sighing, I look at myself in the mirror and make sure that I look nice, that nothings out of place or else I won't look nice for Haymitch tomorrow. Yes, I will find him tomorrow and find out what he's doing. If he has a ring...I might forgive him faster and that would definitely be in his favor.

Looking down at my nightgown, I smile. Its a light blue dress, almost silvery and it flows down to my feet. Maybe I'll wear this tomorrow night, after I find Haymitch? No, its too early to think about anything like that and I have to keep my mind on what's going on right now.

Walking over to the door, I can't help but smile as I think about Haymitch and a ring...a ring for me? Maybe he actually decided that I was worth that? The thought of him getting down onto one knee is too much and has me smiling, from ear to ear. Quickly I pull the door open and I walk right into..._him_.

"Why hello there," he slurs and I just glare at him. How did he get into my room? The door was locked! I checked! He smiles at me and takes a step forward. "You look beautiful tonight, just for me?"

Haymitch POV:

Amilina smiles at me, her eyes stay on me while I try to think of something to say to her. She sits down in an old red chair, the chair looks older than I am and is in perfect condition. I watch as she twirls the ring around between her index finger and thumb, smiling away. Some how I have to turn this whole thing in my favor. I shake my head and she raises an eyebrow, obviously waiting for me to do or say something. With a sigh I walk towards the door and look down, remembering what Beetee told me before I came in here. About her parents and that's when it hits me...

"Well, since there is no way that I'm getting the ring I should just leave. Too bad, I really was hoping that my knowledge of where your parents are would interest you," I say with a light sigh, with my hand on the door. She jumps up as though the chair is on fire and I see the blaze in her eyes. Looks like I've hit a nerve. "Did I say something that caught your interest, Miss Snow?"

"You know where my parents are? Where are they?" She piratically growls the words at me and I nod my head, opening the door. Beetee comes walking in and she stares at the two of us. "I thought that _you_where the one who knows where they are? Isn't that what you were saying?"

"I just want to make a deal and get the ring, are you interested? We have the information and can give it to you or we can leave." Beetee and I stand here staring at her. She gives me a scowl and slowly nods her head, making me smile a little. "Do you agree to give us the ring, if we tell you where your parents are? Of course, we have to work out a way for us to make sure that we get the ring."

"You don't trust me?" asks Amilina in an innocent voice. I glare at her and she walks over to the counter, grabs a box and puts the ring inside of it, tying it shut with a light pink ribbon. For a few minutes she stares at the box, as though questioning what she's about to do. She walks over to us and stands in front of us, holding it out towards me. "Get a good grip on it and I'll let go _after_ you tell me about my parents."

I get a good grip on it and nod my head, which gets Beetee to start talking. "When your parents left, they first went to District Two, in hopes that they could live there in hiding. After some time they upped and left, heading to District Five and they are now in District Eight, under different names. Jolin and Elisabeth Merc. You can find the two of them there and they are being careful there."

"District Eight?" Her voice is hallow and she looks like she's in shock. She pulls the box out of my grip and glares at the two of us. I make a lunge at her, but miss her as she runs behind the counter. "Do you really thing that I'm that stupid? My parents _hate_ District Eight!"

Beetee steps forward and nods his head at her. "Which would be a give them a good reason to go there, so that they could go some where that you wouldn't expect them to. I'm telling you the truth, I saw them and I have pictures. You'd like to see them, wouldn't you?"

This catches her interest and she nods her head. He gestures for her to come forward and starts to pull an envelope out of his pocket. As she walks over to him, I smile as he holds out the envelope to her. She touches it and stares into his eyes, as though she expects for him to grab the box. A smile forms on her lips as she opens the envelope, dropping the box and the next thing that I know, Beetee is running out of the shop. Amilina is screaming at the two of us as we run out into the alley and away from her shop. Her shrieks of outrage echo behind us and we don't stop running until we are far away from the shop. I smile at Beetee as he hands me the box, making me smile.

"Did you really have pictures of her parents in there?" Beetee shakes his head and I smile at him, letting out a light chuckle. I pull the light pink ribbon off of the box and open it, laying there is the ring. A wide smile forms on my lips and I look at Beetee, who shrugs. "Effie is going to be shocked and happy! I don't know what she'll do first when she see's the ring, pass out or kiss me!"

"Maybe she'll kiss you and then pass out after she kisses you?" asks Beetee in a joking tone. He smiles at me and shrugs. "What are you going to do with the ring? Propose to her?"

I stare at the ring, it would be perfect to propose to her with...but I don't know if we're ready for that. Maybe I'll hold onto it until I am? "I...don't know."

**Okay, that chapter was a little too much fun. What do you think will happen? Melvin, haha! Sorry about that, but I had too! :D Haymitch has the ring and doesn't know what to do with it, lets see what he does-shall we? What do you think he'll do? Maybe he'll propose? Or maybe he'll make a huge mistake? Well, looks like you'll find out next week when the new chapters up. :D Thank you for reading and as always I love hearing for you if you would like to leave a review, which fuels me to write faster. :D **


	33. Chapter 33: A Last Minute Decision

**Hey everyone! It's Friday and everyone knows what that means...UPDATE TIME! :D I have to thank Howlynn for something in here, its not what you said exactly-but it came from it. So thank you! :D Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else. I love seeing what all of you think and thank you so much for the support on this story, the two of them are fun to write and I just love knowing that people are enjoying the story.**

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(Make sure to check out It-Was-Enchanting and Mockingjay272, both of them are amazing authors. :D )**

Effie POV:

Melvin stares at me, a wide grin on his lips and all that I can feel is hatred for this man. He tries to grab my hand, but I back away from him, trying to think of something to do. I don't even know how I got into this situation, but I want out-now. Looking around, I try to find something that I can hit him with or something. The next thing that I know my backs against the wall and his lips are on mine. Anger flares up in my stomach and I push away from him, slapping him across the face. No, this cannot be happening and I won't allow it. We stare at each other and he just shakes his head, with a bitter laugh.

"Same old Effie, but you seem to have a little fire in you. I'd love to see that fire," whispers Melvin, running his hands down my arms. I push away from him and he just chuckles, an annoying sound that makes my skin crawl. My eyes narrow and he lets out a low whistle. "For someone who I've been protecting for years you should be more grateful. After everything that you've done-"

"I haven't done a thing," I growl at him, but he just shakes his head. There's an amused smile on his lips and I want nothing more than to slap that smile off of his face. He throws back his head and laughs, a loud and harsh laugh. My gaze flickers over to the door and I see that its been knocked in, unbelievable! "Get out of here! I don't want you here and I did nothing wrong!"

His eyebrows go up and he shakes his head a few times. "Really? Do you really believe that? Think back and maybe you'll remember. You accuse me of doing horrible things, by helping build the arenas. What about you? The woman with the wigs, who draws the names...some of which were rigged. Primrose Everdeen? I know why they told you to say her name and so do you. Don't you think that you were kind of harsh? A little girl, only twelve and you were willing to send her into the arena. Peeta...am I correct? Ah, yes! Mr. Mellark was drawn by chance, but the little girl was not and why was it that her name her name had to be drawn? Who's name was really on the piece of paper?"

"You...how...I did what I had to do at the time and I needed a way out of everything. Don't judge me for what happened." My head is spinning, how can he know about that? It's not something that I'm proud of, but when President Snow told you to do something, you did it and without a question. "Can't you just go? I don't need this right now or you. Whatever you're trying, it won't work."

"Effie, Effie, Effie...what you did was a wonderful thing and it made for good television. Why should you be sorry? Oh right, because you are close to all of them now, which was a huge mistake on your part." Melvin's smile reaches his ears, the glint in his eyes is as bright as the sun. He shakes his head and takes another step towards me, making me tense as he reaches out to touch me. "Madge was supposed to go into the Games that year, wasn't she? But they told you that Primrose Everdeen was to go into the Games, to spare the Mayor's daughter and that she was not the problem. We both know that the President made that explosion in the mines happen, because some of those men were teaching their children things that could lead to a rebellion, help them survive in the woods. What would break Katniss Everdeen more than to have her sister die in the Hunger Games? Of course, Primrose did not go into the Games and her sister, Katniss volunteered for her."

I glare at him, the memory is too much for me. He's right, Madge Undersee's name was drawn that day and she was safe, but only because Primrose Everdeen was chosen by the President. Primrose was supposed to go in as punishment, to remind everyone that no one is safe and that the Capitol was not afraid to do anything. What the President did not see coming? Katniss taking the place of Prim and her going in with Peeta. Together they started the rebellion, after they lived through the Hunger Games-but that's the part that no one saw coming. Everyone saw Katniss not making it, but her fire was too much and Snow unknowingly had helped start the rebellion.

"Do you want this to stay a secret? Hm...I might be able to help you with that," whispers Melvin, making my skin crawl. His voice makes my body shake like its the middle of winter and I'm standing outside without a coat on. This time when he takes a step toward me, I stay where I am and shut my eyes a little, hoping that this is all a nightmare that I'll wake up from. "Effie, what will you do to keep this a secret? If this gets out imagine what will happen once you return to District Twelve, what will they think of you?"

My eyes snap open and I glare at him, now he knows that he's winning. He has something over me and that's the one thing that I never want to come out. "What do you want?"

"Come to the Capitol with me and stay with me. Marry me," his voice is light but deadly, making me want to run away from him. He smiles at me and strokes my cheek, a gesture that should make me smile not want to bite his fingers off. "What do you say?"

I freeze and try to think of what to do, what to say. But I know that this cannot get out or else everyone will hate me...what am I about to do?

Haymitch POV:

I look down at the ring and smile as I walk towards the train station, eager to get my ticket and get the hell out of this place. The train is going to be here in a few minutes, so that means about another twenty minutes to an hour before it heads out. Beetee is walking beside me and is asking be about everyone back in Twelve, especially Prim. He seems to love that girl and think that she's as brave-or braver than Katniss. We both stop as the train stops and I smile, time to go home. The doors open just as the doors open, we turn and walk into the station. No one is in line, so getting the tickets is easy.

"Haymitch? Look over there and tell me if I'm crazy." I turn to look at Beetee, who has wide eyes and shakes his head a few times. "Isn't that Effie Trinket over there? There has to be a good reason why she's here and who that guy is next to her, there has to be a reason-"

Effie's pulling her suitcase and is mumbling something to the guy next to her. I walk over to her and she doesn't see me until I'm right in front of her. Her eyes go wide and she smiles, a small smile. My arms wrap around her and I kiss her, missing the feel of her lips. The guy next to her turns around and gives me a dirty look. What the hell is this guys problem? Can't a guy kiss his sweetheart?

"What are you doing here? I was just about to head home today and find you," I say in a happy voice. She nods at me and I take her suitcase, earning me another look from Mr. Short-Stack, Effie would be taller than he is without her heels. "Who's this guy? Did you look for the creepiest guy on the train and decide to be-friend him? If you did, you did a great job sweetheart."

"Melvin this is Haymitch, Haymitch this is Melvin. We were friends when we were kids," says Effie while avoiding to make eye contact with anyone. I smile at her and this is when it feels right, maybe I should propose to her. We don't have to get married right away and can take things slow, kids later on-way later on. "Haymitch? Are you okay? You were staring off into space..."

"Effie, do you remember our discussion? We should really get going," Melvin says, his voice is strong and I can hear the threat in it. What's going on? "You can have two minutes, I'll be over there. Of course, you were always the one who had the schedule and got places on time."

He walks away, leaving Effie and me alone. I look into her eyes and see sadness in them. What's going on? Did I miss that much while I was away? She starts fidgeting around and playing with her fingers. Slowly, I reach into my pants pocket and pull out the small box. Effie's expression turns to confusion as I put it in her hand and I smile at her. I rub her hand with my thumb as I think about what to say.

"Effie, you know that I never really wanted to fall in love, but I did and you're the only woman that I will ever love. We might be total opposites, but I need you to be happy." I look down as her breathing hitches and I consider getting down on one knee, but decide against it. "There's something in this box that I think will make you very happy and this is the reason why I came out here. I would be honored if you would..."

"If I would what?" Her voice is a little shaky and her hand begins to shake as she looks down at the box. Should I let her open the box? Then I can ask her? "Haymitch?"

Someone walks up behind me and I stiffen. "Effie, we have to go. Remember-tight schedule and lots to do on the way-"

I turn around and punch him in the face, making him fall backwards. Effie gasps and I turn back to her, determination flares through me. She stares at me, her eyes are wide and I smile at her. That felt good and I want to do it again...

"Will you marry me?" The words slip off of my tongue like I'd planned the whole thing and like it's why I came here. Maybe it is, but I just didn't know it. "Effie Trinket, will you be my sweetheart?"

She looks down at the floor and back up at me, shock is the only thing that shows in her eyes and on her face. I stand here, hoping that she doesn't say no and that she'd just say something already. Jeez, what's wrong with her? Just a little while ago she was practically begging me to ask her to marry me and now she's standing here in shock? Why can't she just answer me? Doesn't she understand how much this is killing me?

**WOOHOO! Okay, this is going to be a lot of fun. What do you think Effie will say? Hm...Melvin is kind of evil, but I'm having fun working with him. :D Haha! Okay, update coming again next week and I hope that all of you liked it. Thank you for reading and pleaseeeeee leave a review. :D **


	34. Chapter 34: Love Leads to Insanity

**Hey everyone! Woohoo! Sorry about the cliffhanger, but in this chapter you do find out Effie's answer and I think that everyone will love a few of the things that happens in this chapter-not saying that she says yes or no. :D You'll find out in a few minutes-I promise. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for reading, for all of the AMAZING reviews, favorites/alerts and everything else. All of you are amazing and make this story even more important to me-which I never thought could be possible. I love this story to pieces and it means so much to me. Thank you all so much for taking the time and supporting me and this story.**

**Enjoy!**

***~KelsNicole~***

**TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta LOL! Okay, that is a really good quote! I LOVE it! :D Haha! You always make my day with your reviews and thank you so much for that. **

**~Haymitch Fan-THE WAIT IS OVER! :D I hope that you like it! Haha, hopefully it was worth the wait. (My updates are once a week because I have six stories in progress.)**

Effie POV:

_Melvin is standing in front of me, smiling. His dark brown hair falls into his green eyes. I reach out and brush his hair out of his eyes, making sure that nothing can hide them from me. Tonight is our last night together, before we both leave to start our new lives. His hand touches mine and I can't help but smile, we'll always be like this. A thousand thoughts hit me at once, are we going to be pulled apart and never see each other again? Will he forget me? Maybe our jobs weren't our best choices ever, but it gets me away from my mother and brother, at the same time a part of me is sad. Those gemstone green eyes I'm leaving behind too. No, we'll see each other and always be close-won't we?  
_

_His fingers intertwine with mine and his other hand comes up to brush the hair out of my face, making my skin tingle where his finger tips brush. My breathing hitches and he smiles in response. Slowly, his fingers brush down my cheek to my jaw, not stopping. I shiver as his fingers dance across my skin, enjoying the feeling of something that I have never felt before. I shut my eyes for a second and feel his lips on mine, our lips move together for a second, but I pull away. Thoughts about him with another girl burst into my mind and I can't push them away._

"_Is something wrong? Effie?" His eyes are locked with mine and his fingers continue to dance across my skin. A fire rises up inside of me and I shake my head, but he doesn't let me get away that easily. "What's wrong? You never pull away from a kiss that fast. Something has to be wrong."_

"Nothings wrong, its just...do you think that we'll stay close-no matter what?" He nods his head and I take a deep breath, trying to shake my nerves away. Okay, obviously we are both into making this work and I don't want to loose him. Maybe this is good for the two of us? Yes, its good. "I just...I don't want to loose you-I don't think that I could stand it. What do you think about our...future?"

He smiles at me and shrugs. "All that I know right now is that we both have great jobs and that we are going to see each other as much as possible. I mean, who wouldn't want to see me? Look at me! Don't worry, everything will work out and you'll be promoted to a better District. I put my word in to try and get you into a better one than District Twelve, but they didn't listen too good, did they?"

_I shake my head and look down, great. Before I didn't really think about being the escort of District Twelve, the one that only has one living victor-which is horrible! Melvin tried to get me a better one, but they didn't listen too well and I'll have to work my way up. Do I even deserve him right now? No, I really don't and why should I? _

_My eyes flicker back to him and he smiles at me, there's something different about him. He's wearing the same clothes, has the same hair and the same eyes, but there's something different. I haven't mentioned how I got closer to my dream of leaving my family and being able to see a different life. For the last two years Melvin has been working below the Gamemakers, making sure that all of them are happy and doing anything that they asked him to. A few months ago he became a Gamemaker and talked to President Snow. Now here I am..._

_Looking into his eyes I see something different, something...cruel? "Did something change between us? Did something change with you?"_

"Yeah, I became a Gamemaker and have a lot of different options for my life. I have power, Effie," he says, in a light voice. The wide smile on his lips is one that I'll never forget. I've lost my Melvin and now I'm left with...this man. A cruel man, who makes arenas for children to die in. Now he has power. "I used my power to get you that job and you should be thanking me."

__That is when I knew that I truly lost him and that I was alone. Melvin, the boy who I grew up with was gone and the new Melvin, was a man who plotted how children would die. I could never marry him and I know that now, back then a part of me knew it too. Did I ever have him? Had I ever truly loved him? No, because I was always waiting for Haymitch and here is now, down on one knee, asking me to marry him. Why am I hesitating? Standing here thinking about Melvin? Oh right, because he's blackmailing me! What am I supposed to do? I want to say yes-actually, I want to scream yes and jump into his arms. Kiss him, smile as he puts the ring on my finger, tell him that I love him and have him tell me that he loves me too. But now I have to think about everything, like how he will react when Melvin tells him about my part in putting Katniss into the Hunger Games. How will he react?

"Haymitch, I-," but I don't get to finish my sentence. I look behind me and see Melvin standing beside me. He smiles at me. "What?"

He smiles down at Haymitch and shakes his head. "She's not going to marry you. Don't you see that she belongs to me? Why would she choose you over me anyways?"

The next thing that I know I'm taking my shoes off...

Haymitch POV:

I stare in shock as Effie pulls off her shoes and starts to attack the guy. He grunts and tries to back away from her. Now, I know that I should stop her, but I can't bring myself to and it I'm being honest? This is amusing me-a lot. A smile forms on my lips as she hits him every place that she can get to, making me want to start clapping. Of course, after a few seconds I decide that I have to get up and stop her. Sighing, I grab her arms and pull her back into me. Melvin is glaring at the two of us and he points at Effie, anger radiating off of him.

"Fine! You know what's going to happen now don't you?" His gaze flickers to me and I glare right back at him. "Primrose Everdeen was not reaped for the Hunger Games by chance, it was decided a while before hand and Effie had drawn Madge Undersee's name, but said Prim's. That is why Katniss Everdeen ended up going into the Hunger Games, its all her fault! She could have stopped it!"

She pulls herself out of my grasp and I'm in too much shock to stop her, or even care when she starts to hit him again. After a few minutes, I shake myself out of it and grab Effie again, this time I pull her behind me. Melvin stands up, anger is clear in his eyes and he lunges at me. My fist collides with his jaw and he falls to the ground. He stays there, unmoving and I feel behind me for Effie, but she's not there.

"Sweetheart? Effie?" I turn and expect to see her behind me, but I see her running out the front door. Without thinking about it I run after her and when I reach her, she's standing with her back against the building crying. "Effie, why would you run off like that? Are you trying to give me a heart attack? What's going on with you?"

"I...I...I'm so sorry! The only reason why I took the job was to get away from my mother and to start a new life! None of it was worth it!" she cries out and when she looks up at me I feel my heartbreak. Effie crying is something that I cannot stand to see, the way that the tears roll down her face and her body shakes. "Haymitch, I never meant to do any of that stuff! He would have killed me if I hadn't done what I was told! Why didn't I just quit and go back to the Capitol? That way I wouldn't have done all of that-"

"Sh, its okay. Calm down, sweetheart. It's not your fault, you were doing what you were told to do and you just wanted out. You didn't mean to do any of that and if you hadn't of done it, the rebellion would have never happened," I say the first things that come to mind, hoping that they are the right things to say. My arms are wrapped around her and her body continues to shake. "Effie, if you hadn't of become the escort for District Twelve, we wouldn't have gotten together. Don't look at this whole thing as the worst thing that has ever happened, look at the good things that came out of it. We wouldn't be together right now-"

She pushes away from me and stares at me with wide eyes. "I don't deserve you! Don't you see that? You deserve someone better-"

"No, I don't deserve you. Effie, you are the one who deserves better. Don't you see that some how we belong together?" I clear my throat and drop down to one knee. A wide smile forms on my lips as I watch her eyes widen in shock and her breath hitch. "Now, Effie will you marry me? Please answer me or else you might kill me this time! Think about the poor guy here, down on one kne-"

Her lips are attached to mine and my arms wrap around her. We fall back onto the ground together, but neither of us care and I think that I've finally got my answer. When we break apart I can see the tears still rolling down her cheeks. Isn't she supposed to be happy? Smiling?"

"Sweetheart?" I whisper and she looks up at me as I put the ring on her finger, making more tears fall. "Did I do something wrong?"

She shakes her head and puts her hand over her mouth for a second, trying to calm herself. "No, you've done everything...right."

"Can I have an answer?" I ask in a teasing voice."

"No," says Effie, still smiling. My smile fades and she starts laughing, making my heart skip a beat. "Yes...my answer is yes."

**Ahhhh, I feel better now. :D Who's happy with this chapter? Haha, I know the flashback at the beginning was a little different but I wanted to show where Effie realized that she didn't love Melvin and I really liked it right there...if I may say so. Did you like it? I really hope that you did! :D Thank you for reading and please leave a review!**

**:D Effie and Haymitch shippers are AWESOME! **

**~If you like sneak peeks, go to my Facebook like page KelsNicole92~Fanfiction and like it. Sneak peeks are posted every week! **


	35. Chapter 35: Battle of the Pink

**Hey everyone! Here is the update and I hope that everyone likes it. Thank you all so much for all of the support, this story means a lot to me and I can never tell all of you how thankful I am for all of the support. :D I hope that all of you like it so far and here's the next chapter...  
Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta-First off, I still LOVE the name. ;) I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all of your reviews. They always make me so happy and thank you so much for all of the support! Haha! I've heard of the song but haven't listened to it, but I will. That's part of the reason why your reviews stick out in my mind and I love it! :D**

Effie POV:

I stare down at my ring, not truly believing that its back where it belongs and that Haymitch would go to all of this trouble. What did he go through to get me this? Obviously, he's not going to tell me because every time that I ask he just shrugs it off and smiles. How can this possibly be happening? I'm engaged to Haymitch Abernathy after he didn't want to get married. The smile on my lips will not fade today, its here to stay and nothing and no one can ruin my good mood. We are getting married...

My mind starts swirling with ideas for the wedding. That day must be perfect and I have to start planning! I can already imagine it, the chairs set on either side of the white walkway, his side has a light blue and mine has a light pink, pink flowers are every where. Everyone is standing, waiting for me to walk down the aisle. All of them are staring at me, but my eyes are glued to him. Haymitch stands at the end of the aisle, wearing white dress pants, a white dress shirt and a light pink jacket over it.

"Effie? Sweetheart? Are you okay?" asks Haymitch, waving his hand in front of my face. I blink a few times and look over at him. "You've been looking off into space like that for a few minutes. I know that its boring waiting for this stupid train, but I get bored too."

I smile at him and nod my head, because everything is fine. "Haymitch, what do you think about our wedding? What does it look like in your mind? I see it as large, beautiful, pink and blue. Oh, I have your outfit picked out! We'll match a little won't that be adorable?"

"You want to match on our wedding day? Ain't I supposed to be wearing a black tux or something like that?" His eyebrows go up as I smile at him. I clap my hands together just thinking about Haymitch in the pink jacket. "There's one thing that I will not wear, okay? Pink..."

Our eyes stay locked and I feel a little bit of my excitement leave me. He won't wear pink? But...but, we would look wonderful together on our wedding day if we both ware pink! Doesn't he understand that everything has to be perfect that day? I'm only going to get married once and the only way that I can see it going perfectly is with him wearing pink. Maybe with a little coaxing?

"Haymitch, couldn't you just consider wearing a light pink-for me? Please?" I pout and try my best to get a yes out of him. A wide smile forms on his lips, making me push away from him and he starts laughing. He shakes his head a few times and I know that I'll have to try harder to get him to agree. "Imagine how happy you'll make me if you agree to wear it. The wedding won't be...too big, and this is what I really want."

Okay, that last part was a little bit of a lie because I want a HUGE wedding, but there's nothing wrong with that, right? I smile at him and bat my eye lashes, hoping that I can get him to say yes now. After he says yes I can start planning the rest of the wedding. This is the first step and important. Everything is going to be set around what we wear and we have to be presented as one that day.

"Sweetheart, I can't wear a pink jacket. How about a pink dress shirt or a pink tie with a black tux?" offers Haymitch, with a small smile on his lips. I stare at him, trying to picture it and think about what to say. "We can start compromising now and it will make things a hell of a lot better. Like us having kids, I saw...one or two kids, no more."

I smile at him and start plotting on how to get more kids. "Well...I was thinking more like eight. How do we compromise with that?"

"Even though I want two...I'll go up one. Three, sound good to you?" He stands up and picks up my suitcase. We walk to the train, smiling at each other. I see the gleam in his eyes and I know that he's scheming on how to get the least amount that he possibly can, but make me happy at the same time. "If we can get to three that is, if not we'll be happy with whatever we have."

"Oh, I know that I'll be happy no matter what and so will you." I get onto the train and we head to our room, but I stop right in front of the door, a wide smile plastered on my face. "Don't worry, we'll make it to three and you'll be a great father. I have everything planned out. We'll start planning the wedding, which will be in about two to three months and right after that we'll start trying. Imagine if we go over three!"

The expression on his face is one that I'll never forget. His eyes stay on me as I open the door and walk into our room. Yes, I will win this.

Haymitch POV:

My eyes stay on her as she walks over to the bed and sits down. Three kids? What have I gotten myself into! I shouldn't even have one kid and now I've agreed to have up to three? This woman does something to me and I don't know if its a good or bad thing. Maybe if she gets one she'll be happy and won't try to have anymore? I want to make her happy, but three kids is a lot.

"I never did thank you properly for my ring," says Effie, as I put the suitcases down in the corner. When I turn around, she's standing right in front of me and wraps her arms around my neck. Her lips brush against mine and my arms wrap around her waist. "Thank you, I still can't believe that you came out here just to find it. But...I want to know how you found it, because no one knew what happened to it."

"After some time I'll tell you about it, okay? Let's just be happy that we have the ring and that you said yes. You almost gave me a heart attack!" We let go of each other and I go to sit on the bed. She walks over to me, a small smile on her lips. "Don't you know better than to do that to a man, who's asking for you to marry him? For a few minutes I was convinced that you were going to say no."

She sits down on the bed beside me and makes me look at her. "I'm sorry about that. You were afraid that I was going to say no? Melvin had me worked up enough and my heart stopped when you asked me. Haymitch, I want to be with you and no one else."

"Does that mean that I don't have to fight about wearing pink at our wedding?" I ask her, a little bit of hope in my voice. Why the hell would I have to wear pink on our wedding day for it to be perfect? The way that Effie thinks, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone in Panem showed up. She wants this huge celebration and I'd be happy with us just saying 'I do', with just the kids there. "Sweetheart, I don't think that anyone would mind if I walked out in my usual clothes, as long as they see us get married. Does it really matter?"

"Yes, it all matters. We're only getting married once and its not about what everyone else wants. That day is about you and me, about us." She stares at me, her eyes are wide and I know how much all of this means to her. "I want to wear a white dress, with a little bit of pink on it and walk down the aisle. Everyone who we know and love has to be there, dressed in their best. This is supposed to be a huge thing for us and we are supposed to go big on it."

Why does it have to be such a big event? Let's just have something small, a lot smaller than Katniss and Peeta's, because that thing had me itching for a bottle. I have no doubt that I'll want one or two on that day, but I'll stay away from them. Everything between the two of us started with a bottle, how much things have changed. She means more to me than the bottle and I never thought that I'd say that about anyone.

"Fine, you can get whatever you want-but I choose my own outfit," I say, my voice is light but as soon as the words are out of my mouth, I want to take them back. She looks disappointed, but I don't want to wear pink. "What do you say about that? Compromise?"

She bites her lip for a minute and looks at the floor. "How about you wear something with a little pink on it? I want us to match on our special day. Please? For me?"

The groan that escapes from my mouth lets her know that she's won and I fall back against the bed. Why can I not say no to her? She squeals and jumps up, clapping her hands together. Some how I know that she will always win and that means...more kids.

"Haymitch, that day is going to be perfect and we'll have the best wedding ever! I can't wait to start planning it," says Effie, jumping up and down. My eyes stay on her as she rushes over to get a piece of paper and a pen. What does that woman think she's doing now? "Let's see...the guest list has to be the first thing, then what we are having to eat, oh and the flowers-what are you doing?"

I pick her up and carry her over to the bed. Laying her down, I smile down at her and kiss her. There's no way that after she said yes to me just earlier that she's going to start planning this wedding. She can start when we get back to District Twelve, but for now...she's mine. My sweetheart.

"We're going to make up for lost time and I don't want you to say no," I say quickly. She smiles at me and I kiss her, once lightly on the lips. "Now, since I gave in about something...will you give in about something?"

"Not kids." Well of course not! I've always wanted a million little babies running around, carrying bottles, falling off of a stage and with wigs on-just what Panem needs. "What?"

I smile at her and brush the hair out of her face, eager to gauge her reaction. "Let me plan the honeymoon."

**Fluffy, fluffy and fluffy! :D What did you think? Okay, a little wedding planning is coming up-lets see what else Effie can come up with. *Evil smile* Oh yes, I can guarantee you that Haymitch is going to hate me. Thank you for reading and please leave a review. :D**

**PLEASE READ~I'm going to keep trying to update once a week, but they might be later and not like normal. Since its summer and lots of things are coming up. See all of you next week. :D **

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o(")(") See that cute little button, right under this? Bunny would love if you leave a review...**


	36. Chapter 36: Giving Up Control

**Hey everyone! :D Ready for a new chapter? I hope that all of you like the story and sadly it is close to the end. :( This story means a lot to me and I love the two of them together, thank you so much for all of the support-all of you are amazing! Thank you for reading, leaving reviews and everything else. I'll let all of you get to the new chapter, which is showing some of the planning for the big day...**

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

Effie POV:

I stare at my notebook, panic washing through me and I put my head in my hands. Shaking my head, I try to think everything through. The wedding is set to be in two and a half months, what am I supposed to do? Haymitch told me to do whatever I want with the ceremony and reception, but that's not where my mind is. No, my mind is on what he's doing and planning for our honeymoon. An irritated sound escapes from my lips and I look back up, trying to focus on what's in front of me. Why can't I just let this go and focus? Because Haymitch is god knows where, planning our honeymoon and I have no control over it. Can't I get some control over it? Her eyes go back down to her notebook and she finishes up the guest list, smiling and feeling proud of herself for cutting down the list. Haymitch had made it clear that he would feel better with a small gathering of people, so the list went from five hundred people to two hundred and twenty-eight guest and he said that she didn't know how to cut down.

Sitting back, she takes a deep breath and decides to do something that will cheer her up-put on her wedding dress. Every time that she sees herself in the dress, it brings a bright smile to her lips and she forgets about everything else. Quickly, she runs into her room and changes into her dress. Looking at the mirror, the smile starts to form on her lips and she starts twirling around. The woman in the mirror has on a long white dress, with a train that is four feet long, the neckline plunges a little, with lace around it and it is sheer. The sleeves go down to her wrist, a slit going up her arm. Her smile widens as she looks at herself from every angle in the mirror and she nods her head in approval, knowing that she chose the right dress.

"Effie! I'm here and ready to talk about whatever you called me here for," says Haymitch, his voice close. My eyes go wide and I run over to the door, locking it. A second later, he's on the other side turning the door knob and I hear him cuss lightly. "Sweetheart, what are you doing?"

"Um...nothing! I'll be down in a few minutes and we can talk-darn!" I exclaim, almost falling over a pair of shoes that I left on the floor. Haymitch knocks on the door again and I rush over to my open closet, pulling off my dress and throwing something on. Carefully, I hang my wedding dress back up and close the doors. Rushing over to the door, I open it and smile at him. "Hello, are you ready?"

"Are you-" he cuts off and starts cracking up, making me stare at him. Haymitch shakes his head a few times and pulls me into him, kissing me. "You might want to change though..."

"What? Why would I change?" I look down and realize that I'm wearing a nightgown, that is about five or six inches above my knee caps. My eyes go wide and I nod my head, backing away from him. He grabs my hands and pulls me back to him, wrapping his arms around my waist. "I need to go change and then I have to keep planning the wedding, there's so much to do. Madge, Katniss-"

He presses his lips to mine and hard, making me not be able to think. My arms wrap around his neck and I let out a light giggle, when I take a step away from him. Shaking my head, I back into the room and slowly shut the door. His eyes stay locked on me and when the door is fully closed, I smile. Walking over to my closet doors, I pull them open and pull out a white dress that goes down to just past my knee caps and and the straps are thin.

I twirl around and look at myself, making sure that this time I look decent. Smiling and happy with what I chose, I walk over to the door, out into the hallway and down the stairs. Letting out a deep breath I step off the last step, looking around and seeing that everything is in order. Quickly, I walk into the dinning room and see Peeta sitting there, talking to Haymitch. Five light blue boxes are in the center of the table.

"Hello Effie, are you ready to taste a few different wedding cakes? I have the food picked out for your wedding, from the list that you gave to me," says Peeta, with a wide smile. He stands up and Haymitch walks over to me, taking my hand. I sit down and look up at Peeta, who opens the first box. "You two were talking about different ideas for the cake, like a white cake or chocolate, different layers...this is what I came up with."

I take a small paper plate from Peeta with a small piece of cake on it, a light chocolate brown. Slowly, I take a small piece of it on my fork and put it into my mouth, nodding my head. The chocolate is perfect and it taste even more wonderful than I would have ever imagined. Peeta gives us a few more chocolates, a few white pieces and after that he gives us the double layers, asking us which ones are the best for us. I smile at the third one, they are both light and mix perfectly together.

"This one..." I smile at Peeta. "Is perfect."

Haymitch POV:

I look down at the different kinds of napkins that Effie wants the two of us to choose from. A light creamy one-at least that's what she says, a light pink, dark pink, light blue, purple-oh excuse me, I mean violet. Why does she want me to help her? None of this makes sense to me and I don't care what anything looks like, as long as we get married and we're both happy, I'll be fine. She holds up one that she says is burgundy and a dark blue one, asking for my opinion. Deciding that I need something needs to catch my interest, I lean in toward her and press my lips to her's. She giggles and looks into my eyes.

"What was that for?" Her fingers lace through mine and she smiles at me, making me smile. I give a slight shrug and she nods her head. "We'll be married soon and you'll never have to look at this stuff again, I promise. But...I want to know your opinion on this, please?"

"Sweetheart, choose which ever one you like the most. You're better at these kinds of things," I smile and think about how flattery will be on my side. "Go ahead and I'll be there smiling the whole time. This is our wedding and I want it to be special, everything that you dreamed of."

Her eyes are sparkling and I know that I'm off the hook, she'll pick out the napkins. She smiles as she picks up the light pink one and shows me a dark pink tie that will go around it or something, right now all that I'm doing is focusing on what our honeymoon will be like. A wide smile forms on my lips and I think about how excited she'll be when she sees it. Now, to just keep it a secret.

"Why are you smiling? This whole thing is going to be a disaster and you're laughing!" she says, holding up two pictures with white and pink flowers in it. I shake my head and she stares at me. "Are you keeping something from me? You can always tell me about the honeymoon..."

I shake my head and let a light chuckle slip out of my mouth. "Can't do that, sweetheart. You'll just have to wait and see where we're going."

She pouts and I smile wider, knowing that this is going to go on for a while. Effie is used to having control of everything and this is the first thing that she has given anyone full control of anything. This is something that she'll have to get used to. My eyes flicker back to her and she's showing me two other pictures, deciding to just give in, I choose the dark pink ones-of course, Effie pushes the light pink ones and the white tulips toward me.

"Those ones," I say, my voice light and Effie nods her head, happily. Shaking mine, I chuckle and she looks over at me. Her eyes are wide and I smile at her. "You know, we must have the same taste or something..."

"Do you not like these? If not, we can choose different ones..." she says in a light voice. I shake my head and she smiles, putting the two pictures on her notebook and putting the others to the side. "See? This is so much fun and we are getting through it really fast. What do you think about the colors for the chairs? For the ceremony and reception, I think that they should be different."

Smiling I nod my head. "I agree."

"Light blue for you at the ceremony and dark pink for me. Then at the reception, how about light and dark pink or white?" She claps her hands together and smiles at me. "White, a creamy white and we can have pink flowers in the center. Wouldn't that be pretty?"

"Be careful with how many flowers you have there, little Aca might decide to go around and pick a few. She's getting into the grabby stage," I say with a wide smile. That little girl is going to have fun at that wedding and I already saw that Effie wants her as the flower girl-too bad she acts like her mother. My smile grows wider as I picture her throwing the flowers at the guest instead of throwing them up in the air gently and letting them fall to the ground, that's my little Ace. "Acacia, is the flower girl? Right?"

She nods her head and smiles at me. "I can't wait to start working with her on that!"

I nod my head and chuckle, knowing that I'll have to be there for that. That is one thing that I will not miss and it will be the perfect memory. Effie will want to give up and I'll help them, good plan. "She'll do a wonderful job and she's an adorable little girl."

"Imagine the little girl that we could have," says Effie in a happy voice.

**Okay, getting towards the end only a little while longer. :( I promise that there will be an epilogue at the end-maybe two chapters for that. :) One showing something that I really want to show and the other showing a little farther ahead, how does that sound? Hope all of you liked it! Thank you for reading and please leave a review!**

**~The next two chapters will be pre-wedding, but not that far away from the day that they set it for...**

**PLEASE READ: Most likely there will not be an update next week-but there will be one the following week. **


	37. Chapter 37: Love Is Everything

**Hey everyone! I'm so sorry for doing this to all of you, but I have returned with a new chapter. I know, when will we get rid of her?:) Are all of you ready? No? Okay, nevermind. :) Haha! Thank you for reading, the reviews and everything else. All of you are AWESOME! Okay, here's the new chapter...**

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**(If I haven't expressed this already: THANK YOU all soooooooooo much for all of the support on this story. Effie and Haymitch shippers are the BEST!) :)**

**(I took too long, so this chapter is un-Beta-ed, but my amazing Beta Beth is back on! :)**

Effie:

The rain hits the window and makes me unravel a little. Our wedding is in two days and tomorrow night is the rehearsal dinner. I look down at the large white book with every detail written down on its creamy white pages and let out a deep breath. Hopefully it doesn't rain tomorrow or else we'll end up inside the house and the whole thing will be ruined. Stopping, I takes a deep breath and shuts my eyes. Silently I remind myself what Haymitch keeps telling me, no matter what everything will be alright and the wedding will be wonderful. Every time that I starts to worry, he promises me that everything will be alright and as long as they have each other it will be perfect. Opening my eyes, she hears a light knock on the door and rushes to answer it. It might be Madge or Katniss or maybe Prim-

"What are you doing here?" I stare at him in shock and anger floods through me, not believing that he would actually show up here. Bending over slightly, I pull my shoe off and start hitting him with it. "I told you to stay away from me! Is this staying away from me? LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Effie, stop! Ow-that hurts-EFFIE!" I stop and we stare at each other. His eyes lock with mine and I step back, breathing hard. Right now all that I want to do is grab him by the neck and strangle him, the man who tried to ruin everything that I have just for his own personal gain. "Why did you do that for? Is that how you treat a guest?"

I laugh and shake my head at him. "A guest? Doesn't that imply that I invited you here? You are no guest of mine, so just go right back to the Capitol where you belong. I don't need or want you anymore, can't you just accept that and leave me alone? Please?"

"You don't want to be with him and you don't have to be. Effie, I'll take you back right here and right now. He doesn't deserve you," says Melvin, his voice light. I start to shut the door, but he stops me. "Think about it, does he deserve you? No. Do I deserve you? Yes. Effie, make the right choice here and choose the man who can love you more than the other can. Me. I am the right choice."

I push on the door again, but it doesn't work. He stands there, staring at me and smiling away. Slowly I back away from him and he walks into my house. The smile on his lips widens, making me feel like I'm just a toy to him. My back ends up against the wall and I glare at him. What is he doing to me? My heart is pounding and all that I can do is hope that he'll leave me alone, but I know that is not the case.

"Effie, you love me too. We belong together," he whispers, walking closer to me. Shaking my head, I stare at him and wish that he wasn't really here. "Think about it. We were raised close to each other and our own parents saw us ending up together. Look back at it all..."

"I am not who I was and I'm not sure who you were back then, but I don't like who you are right now." Glaring at him, I push past him and walk over to the door, gesturing to it. "You're wrong about one thing, I don't deserve him. Don't you ever try to tell me any different."

He shakes his head and walks over to me, stroking my cheek. My hand goes up and swats it away, making him frown. "You're wrong, you only deserve me and I deserve you."

"Get over yourself. I'm getting married in two days and there's nothing that you can do about it, do you understand?" We glare at each other and he gives a slight shrug. "You are not going to ruin this for me. My mother...she never knew what was best for anyone and she might have loved you, but I never did."

"You're wrong again, lying through your teeth." He walks over to me and kisses me. I push away from him and glare at him, shoes still in hand. One of my shoes hit him in the gut and he glares at me, as he doubles over. "You'll realize who you want and it will be too late."

My eyes are filled with hatred as I stare at him. "I know who I want and its not you. Haymitch has me and you'll never be half the man that he is."

I watch him stand up and walk over the threshold, looking back at me. He smiles at me, as though he's about to win something and I know that he won't. We will never be together and we never should have been. Everything with him was a huge mistake and I can't take it back, ever.

"I'll see you soon, my dear," is all that he says and he turns away, leaving me here in shock.

Haymitch:

This boy cannot be serious! But by the way that he's smiling at me, I know that he is and that I'm going to end up agreeing to all of this anyway. My eyes go back to the five layered cake, with light pink flowers, bright green vines making their way up to the top, where all of them meet in the center and standing where they meet are two figures, that are supposed to be Effie and myself. Shaking my head, I turn away and I already can see the look of joy on Peeta's face. Why a wedding? I love her, but this woman is going to kill me.

Nodding my head, I start to walk towards the front of the bakery, but Peeta stops me. I turn back to him and see the smile on his lips, making me know that I did the right thing. Sighing, I shake my head a few times and can't wait until this wedding is over. We will be married and I'll never have to do any of this again. But I will do anything for my sweetheart. Walking around a few times and looking back over at Peeta, I let out a light breath.

"I'm doing everything that I can for her, I love her. But, I think that the cake is over the line." Peeta starts laughing and shakes his head. I walk back over to the chair and sit down, letting out a long sigh. "Maybe I should be talking to Katniss about this, its not like you would understand. She's in the same position as I am."

"What?" asks Peeta, as I walk into the main part of the shop and standing there is little Ace. She smiles up at me as her dad comes walking out of the back. "Little Ace, come on over here and we'll get you a cookie."

"Uncle Haymishhh!" She comes running at me and that's when I see the little basket in her hands. A second later Katniss comes walking in and looks at Acacia, letting a deep breath out. I smile at her as I look down at her belly. "I'm going to be a flower girl!"

My smile widens and I take her basket away from her. "Are you now? That sounds like a lot of fun. Are you ready for your first lesson, with Aunt Effie?"

"Yes!" She starts twirling around and runs over to the counter, where she takes a cookie, with bright pink frosting on it. Her eyes light up as she bites into the cookie and she runs back over to Peeta, hugging him and kissing him. Her eyes are on me as she takes Katniss's hand. "Come with us!"

"I wouldn't miss this for anything." This makes her squeal and run outside, with Katniss following closely behind. Shaking my head, I follow behind with Katniss and laugh. She looks over at me and I start laughing even harder. "Nothing, its nothing..."

"Just tell me what's so funny, obviously it has to be good. Come on," she says, her eyes still on little Ace. I shake my head and she sighs in frustration. "What were you laughing about? Just tell me, come on."

"We are more alike than either of us thought and it seems as though we keep going. You do anything to please Peeta and I do anything to please Effie, the same." I smile at her and rub her belly. She swats at my hand and I laugh. "Don't you see? You're going to end up with eight kids before your thirty."

She raises an eyebrow at me. "And you're going to have ten little ones running around. She's going to get you to do it, I know she is."

"And how may I ask?" I raise an eyebrow at her and her smile widens.

Katniss stops in front of Effie's house as Acacia runs into the house. "Like you said before, we are the same and look at what happened to me. I swore no kids and we have one, with one on the way. Do you know something though? I love them and wouldn't change anything."

"One difference between you and I? I've messed up a lot and you're good with kids," I say in a light voice and hope that no one hears me. "Katniss, I should not be allowed to have children. You've seen me on my worst days and no kid should have to live with that."

"You don't give yourself enough credit. Think about Aca, she loves you and you do great with her." She looks over at the house, where Effie is stopping Acacia from picking her bright pink flowers. "No ones a perfect parent and all that you can really do is try. Look at Aca, I think that she could do better with someone else as her mom, but I love her and I know when you have kids with Effie, you'll feel the same."

**WOOO! Next chapter will be fun! :D Haha! Okay, only a few more chapters to go and I hope that all of you like the story so far. :( It's almost over! This will be the first story that I actually give up the story line with, so I don't know how this is going to go. Thank you for reading and please leave a review. **

**Hm...who's ready for some little cute Acacia as the flower girl? I'm thinking about five more chapters maybe? I'm sad that the stories ending... (I don't want to drag it out and ruin it...)**


	38. Chapter 38: You Saved Me

**Hey everyone! Here's a new update, hope you like it and it didn't come out the way that I planned. Not really funny, but I think everyone will like it. Short A/N this time-I promise. Thank you for reading, for the reviews and everything else.  
~Update is late because I haven't been feeling good. **

***~KelsNicole~***

**~This chapter is dedicated to TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta**

Effie:

I hand little Aca her basket of flowers and she looks up at me, with a confused expression on her face. Smiling down at her, I watch her as she looks down at the little pink basket. The next thing that I know, she throws the basket at the wall, making me jump. She starts laughing and falls down to the floor. Katniss and Haymitch stand there, just staring at us. Shaking my head, I walk over to pick up the basket and put more flowers in it, trying to keep my cool. Gently, I give Acacia back her small basket and she glares at it. Picking up an extra one I smile and show her what to do.

"See Aca? You just get a fistful of flowers and gently release them. Now you try," I smile at her, but she just looks up at me as though I've lost my mind and gets a gleam in her eye that is Katniss worthy. Her hand shoots into the basket and she starts running around the house, throwing them everywhere. Shaking my head I run after her, as she starts giggling. "Come here, honey. Acacia!"

After fifteen minutes, I catch her and have her standing in the center of the room again. Handing her another basket, already annoyed, I tell her to watch me and to do what I do. She keeps her eyes on me and I turn around, slowly, I walk and start to throw the flowers, a wide smile on my lips. When I get to the other side of the room and tell her to go, she plasters a huge smile on her lips, starts skipping and throws fistfuls of flowers up in the air, that rain down on her. Halfway across the room she stops and looks up at me in shock.

I walk over to her and kneel down in front of her, trying to hide my annoyance. "What is it honey?"

"I ran out of flowers," whispers Acacia. She looks back over at her mother and skips over to her. When she makes it over to her, she smiles. Looking over at her, I watch her skip around the room, making fun of me. "Aunty Effie, is this the right way to do this?"

"Aca, lets try this again and think of something happy. We want you to look happy when you throw your flowers, think about Aunt Johanna, Aunt Madge..." She nods her head and starts at the end of the room again. I smile, hoping that this time she'll take it seriously. "Go ahead honey..."

She takes one flower out at a time, with an annoyed expression on her face. "Aunt Johanna." Taking another step, she smiles and twirls, throwing a flower. "Aunt Madge!" Pulling out another flower, she takes another step and goes back to Johanna, pulling out another flower and throwing it at the floor. "Aunt Johan-"

"That's not what I meant! Please, just do this right one time?" I stare at her and see the Peeta side of her come out. My eyes stay on her as she twirls around, with basket in hand and starts over. This time, I'm shocked by how she walks over to me and does the whole thing perfectly. She smiles at me and wraps her arms around my waist. "Thank you, honey. Now, all that you have to do is do that perfectly the day of the wedding."

"Can I have a cookie?" She looks up at me with her huge blue eyes and I smile at her, nodding my head. I watch her run into the kitchen and she comes back out a few minutes later, with a cookie in her hand. "Daddy's cookies are the best! Mommy, look!"

I laugh as Katniss picks her up and starts to leave, but before Acacia will leave-she has to hug me. A smile forms on my lips as she wraps her little arms around me. Looking down at her, I see the little girl who can either make my wedding wonderful or ruin it. She twirls over to Haymitch and jumps on him, a wide smile on her lips.

As soon as their gone, I walk up stairs to change and leave Haymitch sitting at the dinning room table. Shaking my head, I feel bad for not telling Haymitch about what happened with Melvin. Maybe I should tell him...no, not this close to the wedding? Would after really be better? Oh, yes, I can see it now. I'll just tell him on our honeymoon! Perfect idea! I sit down on the bed and let out a light groan, why is all of this happening? All that I wanted was a big wedding and to have it all perfect. Why is that too much to ask for?

Tears start to roll down my cheeks as I think about the whole thing. Why can't I just tell him? Am I afraid of what he will say? Of what he might do? Yes, but what I'm really afraid of is him thinking that I love Melvin. I need Haymitch and want Melvin out of my life. But how am I supposed to show that to Haymitch? After I haven't told him and am being pushed towards a break-down?

"I...I...have to tell him," I take a deep breath and shut my eyes. "He'll understand and we'll get married. That will be the end and I will never see Melvin again...I hope.."

Haymitch:

How long does it take for that woman to change? The rehearsal dinners tonight and we can't miss it-oh great! Now I sound like her. Shaking my head, I walk up the stairs and knock on her door. All that I can hear, are light sobs and when I open the door, I see her laying there on her bed. I walk over to her and she looks up, shaking her head. Gently, I take her hand in mine and kiss it. Did I do something wrong? Why is she crying? The day before our wedding, she's crying...

"Sweetheart? Are...are you alright? What's wrong?" She just shakes her head and I hold her tightly to me. "Effie, what's wrong? Please, just tell me? Whatever it is, we'll get through and I love you. Just remember that sweetheart, I love you and you love me."

Nodding her head, she looks up at me and I wipe her tears away. "Haymitch, I don't know how to tell you this, but...something happened before you came over with Katniss and Aca. You won't...hate me, will you? I..I couldn't live if I knew that you hated me."

"I could never hate you. Just tell me what happened, it will all be okay," I say, stroking her cheek. She closes her eyes and leans into my hand. I smile at her and she lets out a light sigh. "Effie, please? Tell me what's wrong and I promise you that everything is going to be alright."

"Melvin, he-he, showed up and..." More tears roll down her cheeks. I tense at the mention of him and she starts crying harder. Quickly, I kiss her lightly and she sighs. "He...he...kissed me. I didn't kiss him back and I didn't want the kiss! Haymitch? Where are you going?"

I run down the stairs and out the front door, not looking back. We'll talk tonight, after I take care of Melvin. He will never touch her again and he will answer to me. The way that she's yelling my name, makes me want to turn back to her and tell her that I'll be right back, but I can't. Melvin and I are going to have a very long 'talk', which I intend to end with him laying on the ground. After that, I will come back and make Effie happy. Tomorrow we will become husband and wife, together for the rest of our lives.

Looking around, I try to figure out where to start. There are three normal places for people who visit to stay. One, a friend or family members house, which I know is off the list. Two, the small hotel by the railroad tracks. Three, the grand place where only the richer can stay, which is almost anyone. Nodding my head, I set off towards where the Seam was and know exactly where I'm going to find my prey.

My whole body is eager in anticipation and I am ready for this, to finally take him down. Walking up to the large, white building, a small smile plays on my lips. I hear a light moan and walk over to the side of the building, where I get the biggest shock of my life. Laying there, is Melvin and he looks as though he is about to die or he is dead. I stare at him and his eyes flicker up to meet mine.

"She...doesn't...love...me," whispers Melvin.

His head drops back and I stare at him in shock. Melvin's dead and I didn't kill him, so who or what did? My eyes flicker down to the bottle laying next to him, the same ones that I used to drink out of. That's what killed him. Effie was right, it would kill me. She saved me...

Standing up, I stare at his body for a few minutes. I turn my back on him and walk away, not bothering to look back. Effie will surly think that I did something to him, but there's one thing that everyone knows about me; I am not a killer.

"Looks like everything is going to go wonderfully tomorrow," I mutter, in a sarcastic voice. "No matter what, I'm marrying my sweetheart tomorrow morning..."

Taking a deep breath, I walk back towards Effie's house and see that the front door has been left open. Sitting on the floor is my sweetheart, who continues to cry. Within seconds I'm by her side and on my knees, hugging her to me.

"Why?" she sobs, shaking against me. "Why did you leave?"

"Melvin is dead, but I didn't kill him. He was dead when I found him," I whisper and she looks up at me in shock. "It was the bottles...they killed him. You saved me..."

She smiles up at me and lightly, kisses me on the lips. "You saved me too."

**Okay, next chapter will be the wedding. Hm...sounds good? :D Thank you for reading and please leave a review. Almost done with this story... :(**


	39. Chapter 39: AN Please Read

**Hey everyone! I just found out today that I'm nominated for Best Author for my Hunger Games fanfics and I am still in so much shock. Thank you to all of you for the support on my stories, when I first found out I almost started crying. Thank you to my Beta Beth, for helping me and for telling me. And thank you to 2q2q1 for nominating me. More updates to come soon. Go to the form 2011 Summer Hunger Games Awards, vote under Best Author. Thank you! :D**

***~KelsNicole~***


	40. Chapter 40: Mine

**Hey everyone! I hope that all of you are ready, because here's the new chapter! :D Thank you for reading for all of the reviews and everything else. All of you are amazing! I love all of you to pieces, as much as you can love people who you don't know and that's a lot. Okay, here's the new chapter...  
Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

**~My updates might not be on the same days anymore, stress and other things are making it harder. But I will always update.**

**This chapter is dedicated to TeamGaleSoIGetPeeta, you're just having bad luck and I hope that everything gets better for you! You are one of the most amazing people who I've met on here and I cannot tell you how glad I am that I get the chance to do this. I hope that you like it and that it cheers you up.**

**Happy late birthday to WordVortex74! **

Effie:

Staring at myself in the mirror, I shake my head and feel my stomach tightening. Twirling around, I check myself from every angle and feel better. Everything is going to be okay today, I know that its going to be and all of the bad luck is over. I walk over to the door, smiling at the fact that I can walk in heels that are six inches high. Walking around my room I try to calm my nerves, so I decide to go back over to the mirror and double-check my make-up. Staring at my eyes, I smile wider and see that its all perfect. My lips are a rosy pink, matching the light pink and white necklace that I'm wearing, which matches the light pink stripe in the center of my dress. Yes, everything is going to be fine, I know it. Nothing is going to go wrong.

When I'm inspecting my hair, which is up and curled perfectly, a loud crash of thunder makes me jump. Staring at the window, I watch as the sky lights up and I run over to the window. Of course, its raining and people are running around outside putting things in their spots, under huge white tents. I gasp, not knowing what to do or say. All that I know is that this wedding is going to be ruined! The rain hits the window, cold and it runs down the window. I wonder if this is a sign. Shaking my head, I walk over to the door and am stopped by Katniss.

"Hello, Effie. Going some where?" She walks into the room and I see that her bump has grown even more. Her back is arched a little and she has her hands on her back. I shake my head and point to the window, making her smile. "That's good luck, don't you know that? Rain on your wedding day is a good thing and it gives you good luck. Effie, are you okay? You look like you're about to cry."

"Haymitch hasn't drank again has he? I-I just don't know what's going to happen! The wedding is going to be a disaster!" I rush over to my closet and start throwing things out of my closet, looking for something-anything to wear downstairs. "Why is this happening? All that I ask for is my dream wedding and I can't get that!"

"They are working with this and Haymitch is not drinking. I think after last night he'll never drink again," says Katniss, as she walks over to the window. She looks down and smiles, shaking her head a few times. "Yeah, he told me about Melvin this morning and he was a little afraid that you'd want to call off the wedding. He's not going to break his promise to you Effie, I know it."

Nodding my head, I let out a sigh and walk over to her and look out of the window. My eyes land on him and I smile, knowing that this is what I want. "Everything looks like its about ready. Can you check if they're ready? I want to make sure that everything's perfect."

"Sure, but Effie?" I look at her and she smiles at me, shaking her head. My maid of honor is at the door and shaking her head. "Who's walking you down the aisle?"

"No one, I'm...just walking. I have no one to give me away and I'm not just going to choose one right before the wedding," I whisper and she leaves, without uttering another word. Looking outside, I smile as the rain hits the window. My father... "I'll walk myself down the aisle.."

I look back at the door and walk over to it, slowly inching it open. Standing there is little Aca and she smiles up at me, running over into my room. She runs right over to my bed and starts jumping up and down, making me shake my head. Walking over to my bed, I stop her and make her sit still on the bed. Acacia, looks up at me with huge eyes and a wide smile.

"Aunty Effie can't leaves room," whispers Acacia, making me smile. She shakes her head and wraps one of hands around two of my fingers. "Mommy and daddy tolds me not to let you leave. You and Uncle Haymish getting married today?"

"Yes, we are." I smile at her and sit down beside her. She looks up at me with wide eyes and I shake my head a few times, trying to not think about anything. "And you're going to be the best flower girl ever. Just make sure to smile like your father and not like your mother."

"Are you getting married to have cake? I want to gets married to have cake," she says, in an eager voice and making me laugh. She stands up and starts jumping up and down again, giggling. "Huge cake!"

I laugh and shake my head. "We have cake, but we're getting married because we love each other and we want to be together."

"So..." She looks up at me and smiles, hopefully. "Can I have your cake?"

Haymitch:

Looking around I watch as everything gets set into its final place and its starting to make me feel nervous. My mind is racing, which I only know one thing that can stop it and its the one thing that will break my sweethearts heart. Shaking my head, I rub my head and sit down on one of the chairs. I look down at myself and feel ridiculous! A bright pink jacket, over a light pink shirt and a pair of pants that match the jacket. Sighing, I knew that I shouldn't have let Katniss make the final arrangements for my tux. When I saw it I almost died and when I tried it on, it was even worse. I feel like one of those monsters that parents tell their kids about, except that I won't murder them, no, I'm even worse. They will die from laughter.

Putting my head in my hands, I take a deep breath and watch as everyone starts to sit down. Hell, Effie promised met that she'd cut down on the guest list but when I look around, I guess that there's about three to four hundred people here. Does she really consider this cutting down? This woman is going to be the death of me, but I love her and wouldn't have it any other way.

Looking back up at the house, I wonder if she's still up there. Maybe she ran and thinks that I don't deserve her. In a way I don't deserve her, she deserves better. But I would do anything for her, no wait, I will do anything for her. Last night, she sat there for hours in shock and mumbled something about Melvin. Does she know something about his death? No, she couldn't know anything.

"Haymitch? Are you ready?" I look up and see Peeta, a wide grin on his lips. My smile widens when I see what he's wearing, of course his tux is a little lighter than mine is. Shaking my head, I stand up and walk with him to the end of the aisle and start laughing. "What are you laughing at?"

"You, don't you understand how ridiculous you look? Now I feel better, knowing that I'm not the only one who looks like an idiot," I snort and he shakes his head. "Did Katniss choose yours too?"

He chuckles and shakes his head. "Is that how you ended up in that? I thought that Effie switched that with your normal black tux and you just realized it. No, I love Katniss but...I wouldn't let her choose something like this or else I'd end up looking like you."

"Why didn't she go with something a little less drastic?" I gesture down at my attire, making Peeta laugh even harder. Looking up at the house as Mrs. Everdeen appears, I shake my head and know that the ceremony is about to start. "I wonder how your sarcastic and annoying wife looks..."

"She's wearing pink too. I saw the dress and she looked like she was about ready to die." Peeta's eyes stay on the aisle as the wedding march starts up. "But I think she looks beau-"

"Gah! Can you not tell her the truth one time? You and I both know that she must look like something from out in the wild, that she would kill for food," I whisper to him and he shakes his head. "We'll see and when we do, you'll be telling me that I was right..."

Right at that second, little Aca appears and she starts throwing the flowers. A wide smile on her lips as she makes her way down the aisle, looking more like her father than her mother. When she reaches the end of the aisle, she smiles as she holds out her hand and hands me a light pink flower.

Looking back up, I watch as Madge, Prim and Johanna make their way down the aisle. With each step, Johanna gives another guest a death glare and I almost start laughing. But, when Katniss starts walking down the aisle I stop breathing. What happened to her? She looks...decent! Her long hair falls down past her shoulders and the dress looks nice on her, even the color does! How can she pull off pink?

My heart skips a beat as she reaches the end of the aisle and smiles at me. I shake my head and look back down the aisle just as Effie appears. For that second, I'm frozen and shocked. She looks so beautiful and wonderful. The best part is that she's about to become mine, for forever. My Effie, my wife, my love, my sweetheart.

**Woooooo! Haha! Poor Haymitch, I really do feel bad for him, but I'm amused. By the way, my third favorite color is pink, just so that all of you don't think that I'm just being evil and going PINK HAYMITCH-okay, I might be partially, haha! Okay, the wedding will be in the next chapter! :D Haha, sorry about that! It was supposed to be in this one, but it changed when I started typing. What did you think? Thank you for reading and please leave a review! :D  
Effie&Haymitch shippers are AWESOME!  
~Would you care if I changed the title of the story? I have an idea, but I don't want to mess anyone up.**


	41. Chapter 41: I Want One

**Hey everyone! I am still here and okay, been feeling sick and all that, but here's the next chapter. I am so sorry for not updating sooner. I hope that all of you like it. Thank you for all of the support on this story, please leave a review and answer the question at the bottom.**

**Enjoy!  
*~KelsNicole~***

Effie:

I look down the aisle and see him staring at me, making my nerves settle a bit. His eyes are locked on me, making me feel like I could walk on air. Slowly, I start to walk towards him, taking a deep breath with each step that I take. Everything is going to be perfect, I can just feel it and with the way that everything looks-how could it not be? My eyes flicker to the side and I see the rain, the only thing that has happened today that could have ruined everything. Smiling, I know that not even the rain could ruin anything, it helped make everything better. Haymitch is truly going to make this the best day of my life and he's always been right about one thing; all that we need is each other.

Taking a deep breath, I reach the end of the aisle and smile at Haymitch. In just a few minutes, I will be married to him and we can start planning out family. Five kids, that's my compromise for him-because I love him. Smiling, I take his hand and we look at each other. My heart starts pounding and I look around us, thankful that everyone made it.

"Welcome friends and family," says Beth, a close friend of mine from the Capitol. "We are here to witness the union of Effie Elizabeth Trinket and Haymitch J. Abernathy. Rory has something that he wants to say to his lovely bride, before they are brought together as one."

Beth looks out at the people watching and smiles, "Haymitch J. Abernathy, since it is your intention to marry, join your right hands and declare your consent. Do you take Effie Elizabeth Trinket to be your lawful wedded wife to have and behold from this day on, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live."

Haymitch nods his head and then realizes that he hasn't said anything. Lightly he says, "I Do."

The woman with long blonde hair standing in front of us smiles even wider. "Effie Elizabeth Trinket do you take Haymitch J. Abernathy to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and behold from this day on, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live."

Smiling at Haymitch, tears start to build up in my eyes and I push them back. There is no way I'm running my make-up today. With a wide smile I whisper, "I Do."

He smiles at me and I'm only half listening as Beth says, "The wedding ring symbolizes unity, a circle unbroken, without beginning or end. And today Effie and Haymitch exchange these rings as confirmation of their vows to join their lives, to work at all times to create a life that is complete and unbroken, and to love each other without end. May the Lord bless these rings which you give to each other as the symbol of your love and fidelity.

Haymitch, takes the ring from Beth and he slowly places it on my finger and he repeats the words after Beth.

Staring at me, he repeats:

"With this ring I thee wed.  
I offer you my hand, and my heart as I know they will be safe with you.  
All that I am I give to you and all that I have I share with you."

Realizing that its my turn, I take the ring from Beth and smile as I say:

"With this ring I thee wed.  
I offer you my hand, and my heart as I know they will be safe with you.  
All that I am I give to you and all that I have I share with you."

Before Beth can utter another word, he pulls me into his arms and kisses me. She says something, but I don't hear what. Wrapping my arms around him, we continue to kiss, until I hear someone gasp. Looking around, my eyes land on Katniss as she holds onto her stomach. Peeta's arms wrap around her and little Acacia, walks over. Putting her hand on her mom's belly, she smiles.

"Baby coming?" she asks in a light voice.

My eyes go wide as I watch Peeta, walking off with Katniss, back into the house. Is she really having the baby now? Here? Taking a deep breath, I follow with Haymitch. Once inside the house, I hear loud yelling, that I know is coming from Katniss.

A few seconds later, when we are walking up the stairs, she yells, "EFFIE! NEVER LET HIM GET YOU PREGNANT!"

"Maybe you should listen to her," whispers Haymitch, with a wink.

Haymitch:

Dancing around and holding Effie tightly to me, I keep looking back up at the house. When I look back down at her, I watch her shake her head. My eyes flicker back to the house, Katniss told us to go but I want to be inside and wait for the baby to be born. I was there for Acacia's birth, why can't I be for this little ones. Did I mention that I might have been a little drunk when little Ace was born?

"Let's go back inside. I can tell that you want to," says Effie, her eyes locked with mine. Without waiting for me to respond, she turns and walks into the house. I follow her and she sits down on the couch. "The last that I knew they were saying that the baby should be here soon."

I sit down beside her and take her hand in mine. "What do you think this ones going to be? I don't think that Panem can take another little girl with Katniss' fire."

"Maybe a little boy with her fire?" she asks in a light voice, making me smile. We both look over at the door at the same time, as Peeta walks out and has a wide smile on his lips. I'm on my feet in seconds and next to Peeta, who looks like the happiest man in Panem; but I know that he's the second. "She had the baby? Was it a boy or girl? Name? What's the baby's nam-"

"Calm down, everyone is fine. We now have a little boy," he says, with a sparkle in his eyes. Little Ace comes running in at that moment and right over to Peeta. He picks her up and kisses her lightly on the cheek. "Are you ready to see your baby brother, Diligo?"

"Dilego?" asks Acacia, cocking her head to the side. I smile as she looks up at her dad, excited. "Can I see him? And mommy?"

We follow Peeta into a room on the first floor and see Katniss sleeping in the bed. My eyes flicker over to a small crib and I see a cute little baby boy sleeping in it. Acacia runs over to it and has Peeta pick her up so that she can see. Looking over at him she ask, "Dil-ego?"

"That's your little brother," whispers Peeta, smiling at her. I shake my head and watch the two of them. "He's going to look up to you..."

Watching them makes my stomach lurch a bit, making me want a family. Looking over at my sweetheart, I notice a spark in her eyes and I know that I'm powerless in this case. Even though it's not the smartest idea, I want to have a family with Effie and I will. Looking over at back over at the three of them, I know that Peeta and Katniss were always right.

Slowly, we walk over to them and I look down at the baby. Diligo is such an odd name and too much to remember, shrugging, I think I'll just call him Dil. Peeta catches my eye and smiles, letting me know that my secret is know about a family.

"Did you name the kid? It doesn't sound like something Katniss would choose." He nods and I smile, shaking my head. Katniss and I are too much alike, caving for the ones that we love, always. Looking back down at the kid, I can't help but smile. "Hello there, I'm your Uncle Haymitch, Dil."

I hear a groan from behind me and look over to see Katniss. "They got you too..."

I chuckle and walk over to her, a wide grin on my lips. Slowly, she nods her head and we both know that we're in the same boat. Looking over at Effie, I shrug and she laughs lightly. Walking out of the room, I shake my head and Effie follows me. With a wide smile, I spin her and press her back up against the wall. Smiling at her, I press my lips against her's, shocking her.

"What are you doing?" she whispers against my lips and I chuckle. She better not try acting like she's not enjoying this. "Haymitch? The wedding is still going on."

"I was thinking that we could get a head start on making those babies..." I say and pick her up, making her squeal. Shaking my head, I carry her up the stairs and to her room. "Don't you want that?"

When I set her down on the bed, she grabs my face and kisses me. "Yes..."

"Then lets get started.." I say in a low voice.

**Okay, thinking...I might try to show something in this one or there might just be the epilogue. What do you guys think? Thank you for reading and please leave a review. The next chapter is the epilogue, it might be in two parts though...don't know yet, but if not it is the last chapter... :( Thank you for all of the support. **


	42. Chapter 42: Always My Sweetheart

**Hey everyone! Sorry that this took so long, I haven't been feeling good and am taking care of that right now. I'm working on finding out why and trying to get back. Here is the last chapter, I really do want to cry because its over. This story means so much to me. Thank you all for the support, I cannot express how thankful I am. I hope that all of you like this chapter, it took me a while to write and I finally feel like its good enough to post.**

**Enjoy.**

***~KelsNicole~*  
-This story is dedicated to Mockingjay272, It-Was-Enchanting and HugnerGamesCrazy. I hope that all of you enjoyed the story, all of you have helped me not only with this story but to become a better writer. Thank you.**

Effie:

Touching my belly, I smile down at it. He or she is really in there and about to come, I can feel it. After over a year we're finally here. Haymitch is still nervous and I understand why, but I can see the gleam in his eyes, showing me that we both truly want this.

Carefully, I sit up and look around. The doctor told me to stay down, but its annoying me; just sitting here. Sighing, I get out of bed and start walking around the house. I have to do something and now. My mind flickers to the geese in the yard, making my stomach churn a little. That's the only thing that he wouldn't give into, but one of the only things that I would. Now I'm always going to be stuck with those...things.

"Stupid doctor, what do they know?" I mutter before walking into the hallway. Wincing, I feel a sharp pain in my stomach, making me gasp. Putting my head against the wall, I feel something wet run down my legs. My eyes go wide and I do the only thing that I can think of. "HAYMITCH!"

"Sweetheart? Is everything okay?" I hear his footsteps coming up the stairs and when our eyes lock, I see realization in his. He looks around, confused, not knowing what to do. "Shit!"

"Haymitch go get Mrs Everdeen or Prim, they know what to do," I say before stumbling back into our room. Focusing on my breathing, I lay down and glare at the wall. Who knew something could hurt this much? Now I understand why Katniss was going and on about labor. "Breath, breath..."

I close my eyes and try to push the pain away, but it doesn't work, another contraction hits. Taking a shallow breath, I keep my eyes closed. My hand rubs my stomach, wondering what our baby will be like. Eager to see the baby, but over come with pain, I arch my back, lifting my back off of the bed.

"Where is he?" I mumble, the pain taking over. My eyes snap open and I try to steady my breathing, thinking about Haymitch, what we've been through. Another strike of pain erupts through me, making me gasp. "He better not be getting a bottle..."

Standing up, I try to walk around the room, but realize that this does not help. More contractions come, quicker and harder. Laying back down, I close my eyes and start imagining the baby. A girl or a boy? I'm thinking a baby boy, that looks like Haymitch. Eye color? Light blue. Hair? A light brown, like mine. Name?

The door burst open and I look up, seeing Katniss standing in the door way. Her eyes go wide and she walks over to me. Our eyes stay locked for a moment and she gives me a knowing smile. Annoyed with her, for once I cannot stop myself from yelling at her, from showing how I'm feeling.

"Stop smiling at me!" I yell, as she goes to the closet to get more blankets out. My eyes stay on her as she picks up a bucket and leaves the room, leaving me alone again for a second. "Katniss?"

"What's going on?" I hear Prim ask and she just smiles at me. I let out a light scream, hoping that it will bring Haymitch back into the room. The gagging sounds make me want to throw something at him. How does he think I'm feeling right now? "She's having her baby?"

Katniss nods her head and I'm thankful to see Mrs. Everdeen come running into the house. "She's in there-"

"Haymitch is outside puking all over the place," she mumbles as she runs into the room. Nodding my head, I'm not too surprised, I saw it coming. He can't handle this. "Prim! Come in here, please!"

I look around, frantically and start calling out for Haymitch. Katniss runs out of the room and seconds later, comes in dragging Haymitch. He looks at me and I hold out my hand. Nodding his head, he walks over to me. Holding onto my hands, I look up at him as another contraction makes me start to thrash around. Shutting my eyes I push when Mrs. Everdeen tells me to, until I hear a light crying and, "It's a girl."

A wide smile forms on my lips and I nod my head, looking up at Haymitch. He kisses and I start crying. "I want to name her after my best friend-"

"And my mother," says Haymitch with a wide grin on his lips.

Nodding my head, I smile happily and say, "Alena Marie Abernathy...perfect name."

Haymitch:

Looking down at the little girl in my arms, shocked by how much I love her and the fact that she's here. Gently, I kiss her forehead and lay her down in her small bed. I stare at her, wondering how I'm going to make sure that I don't mess everything up for her and give her the life that she deserves.

"Alena, I promise you that I will love you more than any dad loves his daughter." I look down at her, as she starts to fall asleep, moving her little fist around slightly. Smiling, I shake my head and continue, "I know that I'll mess up in a lot of ways, but I'll always make things right. You're mother is not my only sweetheart anymore, you both are."

Watching her fall asleep, I chuckle and look over at Effie. I walk over to her and gently stroke her cheek, happy that I gave her what she wanted. My eyes flicker back and forth between the two, not sure about what will happen next, but knowing that I love the two of them more than anyone else in Panem. They are my lives and I'll do anything to keep them happy.

"Haymitch..." mutters Effie, making my smile widen. Carefully, I get into bed with her and she puts her head on my chest, sleeping deeply. "I..."

Kissing the top of her head, I chuckle and rub her back. "I know, you were right and now we have a beautiful daughter. I love you, Effie."

"That's not what I was going to say. What I was going to say was..." She's quiet for a second, making me wonder what she's about to say. Letting out a deep breath, she whispers," I want to have more children."

Freezing for a second, I shake my head. Oh yes, my sweetheart is going to be the death of me. Right now, I'm happy with two sweethearts, but maybe one day we'll have another one or two? Maybe have a little boy running around? There are a few things that I know and that Effie should too.

"Anything for you, sweetheart." She looks up at me and smiles. Lightly, I kiss her and brush her hair out of her face. "I love you, Mrs. Abernathy."

Snuggling back into me, she sighs. "I love you too, Mr. Abernathy."

I close my eyes, drifting off to sleep. My only thoughts are on my two sweethearts, my world.

**It's done! :'( Right now I really want to cry, this took me a while to get done and I hope that all of you liked it. This story was a blast for me to write. Every second of it, I really did love. If you want to know more about Effie and Haymich's future, read Those Gray Eyes Caught Me and Can Love Last?. Can Love Last? will show more of their future. Thank you for reading and please leave a review. **


	43. Chapter 43: Rocking the Bottles!

I would like to say that I have had a few reviews on this story - as well as a few others about Prim being dead. I have read Mockingjay, but in another story I decided to have her live. I hope that all of you enjoy the next part of the Effie & Haymitch stories.  
Hey everyone - the first chapter is up for Effie & Haymitch: Rocking the Bottles, just so that this story won't be taken down here's a small piece of the new story:

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Effie:

I carefully lay Alena down in her crib, feeling exhausted from everything that has happened today and ready for bed. Her little hands ball up into fist as she makes a light sound as she sleeps peacefully, making a smile form on my lips as I edge towards her bedroom door. Once in the hallway, I let out a deep breath as I close the door behind me, and jump when I hear the front door open downstairs. The door is shut loudly, and Haymitch comes running up the stairs with a look of delight on his face. When he reaches me, his arms wrap around me and our lips meet for a brief second, before he starts to jump around looking like a complete and utter fool. I stay standing in the same spot, knowing that my hair is unacceptable, and that I need a goodnight's sleep – and by good I mean long. The only question is when I will receive the gift of a goodnights sleep and from the way that Haymitch is acting something tells me that it won't be tonight. This does more than displease me, it infuriates me. All that I want is a few extra hours of sleep and lately Haymitch has been getting home in the early hours of the morning – which many times woke up a fussy Alena. That better not happen tonight or else he will be the one rocking her back to sleep for at least half an hour.

"Effie – wait until you hear about what just happened to me, you are not going to believe it! You and I have been waiting for this for a long time, and it's finally happened!" says Haymitch, his voice going up a few octaves every few seconds. He begins to clap his hands together, making my tolerance for his noise about to drain completely, but he doesn't seem to notice. "But before I tell you my news, how about you tell me about your day? How have both of my little sweethearts been while I was away?"

"Haymitch," I say his name in an unnerving calm tone as I take a step towards him, and rest my hand on his chest. My eyes narrow as they lock with his, knowing that my lack of sleep has to be showing in my features as I gently kiss him on the cheek. "Let's talk about it in our room, but I should warn you…if you wake Alena up you will be the one to get her back to sleep. Speaking of sleep, I need sleep…and a lot of it."

Turning, I walk to our room and he follows closely behind me. As soon as I'm within falling distance of the bed, I fall onto my side and land on the bed – half on, half off. Haymitch gently picks me up and places my head on the pillows as I yawn. The bed seeps down where he sits next to me, holding my hand in his as he chuckles gently, making me feel like I could bite his head off at this very second, but know that I'm too tired to do so. Leaning forward, his lips brush against mine and I let out a light sigh as I snuggle back into the pillows.

"Sweetheart, are you alright?" asks Haymitch, true concern lacing into his voice as his fingers brush across my cheek bone. A few seconds later, he's lying down beside me and I'm snuggled into him – knowing that tonight will be the best night's sleep that I have gotten in a long time. "Get some sleep tonight, and we'll talk about the future possibility of me becoming Mayor of District Twelve. Now tell me about you an-"

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I hope that ALL of you enjoy the sequel!  
Thank you for all of your support!

*~KelsNicole~*


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